Egypt's general prosecutor referred Sunday 40 alleged militants to criminal court on charges of forming a terrorist cell linked to the Islamic State (IS) and plotting attacks targeting police and army forces, Sky News Arabiya reported. The investigations showed that the defendants – 20 arrested and other 20 on the run – had close links with the IS, and they established an unlawful group to recruit militants and send them to fight in Syria. Since the ouster of president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, Egypt, particularly the Sinai Peninsula, has been plagued with escalating militant attacks, mostly carried out by IS-linked "Wilayat Sinai" group. Hundreds of police and military personnel have been killed.
