Egypt 'kills head of Islamic State's Sinai branch'

The Egyptian military says it has killed the head of the Sinai branch of so-called Islamic State (IS), along with dozens of its fighters.

It said Abu Duaa al-Ansari was killed in a series of air strikes on fighters of the Sinai Province - or Ansar Beit al-Maqdis - group.

The air strikes targeted jihadist strongholds near the town of El-Arish.

Sinai Province is Egypt's most active insurgent group and has been linked to deadly attacks in Sinai and Cairo.

The Egyptian military said: "The raids left more than 45 terrorists killed, dozens of others injured and several arms caches destroyed."

Brig-Gen Mohammed Samir said in a posting on Facebook that Ansari was killed in an operation guided by "accurate intelligence".

The posting did not say when the operation was carried out.

The air strikes were on southern and south-western areas of El-Arish, the largest town in northern Sinai.

The jihadist group, which has been active in the Sinai peninsula since 2011, has not commented on the army's statement.

Video threat

Islamist militancy has risen in Egypt since the army deposed President Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013.

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Sinai Province: Egypt's most dangerous insurgents

• Originally called Ansar Beit al-Maqdis (Supporters of Jerusalem), but changed its name after it pledged allegiance to so-called Islamic State in November 2014
• Began with rocket attacks on Israel but refocused on targeting Egyptian security forces after the removal of President Morsi
• Its aim is thought to be to take control of the Sinai peninsula to turn it into an Islamist province
• Deadliest attacks include killing of 33 security personnel in North Sinai in October 2014
• The number of active members is believed to be between 1,000 and 1,500
• Believed to have cells in Cairo, Giza and the Western Desert

Profile: Sinai Province

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A recent survey conducted by London-based Al-Araby al-Jadid news website said the group had carried out more than 31 attacks in various areas across Sinai within just a two-week period in March 2016.

The group is also a prolific producer of propaganda videos.

On Wednesday, a video said to be from the IS Sinai affiliate issued a rare direct threat to 

Israel, saying it would soon "pay a high price".

BBC NEWS

EgyptAir Hijacking: Hostage Taker Arrested in Cyprus After Plane Diverted

A hijacker who took dozens of hostages aboard a commercial jet over what appeared to be a "personal" matter involving a woman was arrested after an hours-long standoff Tuesday, authorities said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Cyprus confirmed around 7:45 a.m. ET that all of the passengers and crew had been safely freed.

The drama unfolded aboard EgyptAir Flight MS181, which was on a domestic flight en route from Alexandria to Cairo. A hijacker who claimed to have an explosive belt ordered the plane to diverted to either Turkey or Cyprus, according to officials.

The Airbus A320 flew to the Cypriot port city of Larnaca and landed at around 7:50 a.m. local time (12:50 a.m. ET), where negotiations got underway, EgyptAir said.

The majority of the passengers were soon released, with just four foreigners and seven crew members left on board.

The hijacker spent the first three hours of the standoff demanding to speak to his Cypriot ex-wife, a high-level source close to the operation told NBC News.

"Our people they were talking to him all the time in order to keep him busy and allow people to come out," the source added, saying that negotiators asked that more hostages be released in return for each of his requests.

The hijacker — who was identified by the Cyprus Ministry of Foreign Affairs asSeif Eldin Mustafa — then shifted his demands.

"He asked for asylum, he wanted to talk with someone from the European Union ... It seems that he was an unstable personality," the source explained, requesting anonymity due to the fluid nature of the investigation.

The source said that once the passengers and crew had been freed the hijacker was alone in the plane "so he didn't have any other option than to come out."

Live footage from the scene shortly before the arrest was announced showed the pilot dangling from a rope out of the cockpit window and dropping to the ground. Two people were later seen coming down stairs parked next to the jet.

There were conflicting reports about how many people were on board — with some officials saying it was carrying 55 and others suggesting that figure was 81.

The passenger list included eight Americans, according to Egypt's Civil Aviation Ministry.

GALLERY: Hijacker Diverts Jet, Seizes Hostages

Authorities were examining whether the hijacker did actually have any explosives.

Earlier, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said the hijacking was "not something that has to do with terrorism."

The same high-level source close to the operation had suggested early on that the hijacker's motive seemed to be about a "personal" matter involving a woman. The hijacker is believed to be an Egyptian national.

Giulio Regeni: Egypt detains four linked to Italian student's murder

'Egyptian prosecutors have ordered the detention of four people in relation to the murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni, officials say.

They are relatives of an alleged criminal gang which officials say was behind the killing. All the gang's members died in a shoot-out.

But Italian officials have questioned this claim amid suspicion that security forces had involvement in the case.

Mr Regeni's body was found with signs of torture, dumped beside a road.

Italian authorities have long complained about a lack of transparency from Cairo in the investigation.

The 28-year-old Italian, who was a student at Cambridge, had been researching trade unions, a politically sensitive subject in Egypt. His body was found on 3 February, a week after his disappearance in Cairo.

The murder of Giulio Regeni

Two of the suspects detained are the wife and sister of the alleged gang leader. They had been arrested in the sister's apartment, where an official said police found a bag with Mr Regeni's passport and wallet.

The other two are the brother-in-law and brother of the head of the gang.

All four are accused of concealing a criminal and hiding stolen goods, officials said.

On Thursday, Egypt's interior ministry said police had found a bag belonging to the student during a raid on a flat linked to the gang. All its four members were said to had been killed in a shoot-out.

The group specialised in abducting foreigners while posing as policemen, it added.