Murderer of Egyptian Shia Cleric Detained
According to Al-Alam news network, Egypt’s security forces detained the suspect, named Hamdi Muhammad Barik Al-Jalawi in the border town of Matrouh as he was attempting to escape to Libya.
He is accused of being involved in the murder of prominent Shia cleric, Sheikh Hassan Shehata, and four of his devotees.
They were killed in a brutal attack carried out by Takfiri extremists in Giza Province near Cairo in June last year.
The attack was carried out when a crowd of several hundred assailants attacked Sheikh Shehata’s home and then set it on fire at the village of Abu Mussalam.
Brutal scenes of the crime were posted on the internet showing men dragging Sheikh Shehata’s bloody body on the street and beating him as the Sheikh chanted “Allahu Akbar [God is Great].”
Dozens of other devotees who were at Sheikh Shehata’s house for commemorating a Shia holy day were also injured.
Shias, who form just one percent of Egypt’s population, are often under attack by extremist groups in the North African country.
