Egypt declares militant movement 'Hasm' a terrorist organisation

An Egyptian court declared on Saturday the Hasm militant movement, which the Sisi regime has alleged is linked to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, a terrorist organisation.

Since 2013, the Egyptian government has linked most of the militant groups in the country which announced responsibility for attacks on security forces to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Hasm has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks targeting Egyptian policemen and security forces.

It also said it was behind assassination attempts last year on former Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa and Deputy Prosecutor Zakareya Abdel-Aziz.

Since the Sisi regime's overthrow of Egypt's first democratically-elected president Mohammed Morsi in 2013 and the often-violent crackdown on Islamist and other dissidents, the country has seen a wave of attacks against security forces.

Hundreds of policemen have been killed by militants, including the Islamic State group, who have managed to gain a foothold in the restive Sinai Peninsula.

The majority of attacks have focussed around the North Sinai province which borders Israel and the Gaza strip.

In response to this, Egypt's government has carried out a crackdown, killing around 1,300 and arresting a similar number as part of its "war on terror".