Six suspected militants were arrested over their involvement in a failed suicide attack on a church near Cairo, the Egyptian Interior Ministry said on Sunday. On Saturday, a militant wearing an explosive belt detonated himself near a Coptic church in Qalyubiyah, north of Cairo, before he could approach the location due to heavy security presence. Authorities identified the man as Omar Mohamed Ahmed Mostafa, 29. He was reportedly a member of a cell plotting attacks across the country. The Egyptian army has been fighting an Islamist insurgency since the ouster of former Brotherhood-affiliated President Mohammed Morsi in 2013. Security forces stormed hideouts on Sunday used by militants in the northern Sinai Peninsula, killing 12 suspected militants.
Separately, the supreme guide of the Muslim Brotherhood and other leaders of the banned group were sentenced on Sunday to life in prison. Mohammed Badie and the other defendants were accused of incitement to violence during the 2013 protests. Read More
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