Security sources: Jihadiyyeen leader dies in custody

EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma'an) -- Security and tribal sources in the Sinai say Muhammad Tihi, a senior leader in the Jihadiyyeen organization, died Saturday in his prison cell in Cairo.

Egyptian security services have described Tihi as a leader of the Jihadiyyeen group that masterminded attacks on a police station in el-Arish and carried out bombings of gas pipelines from Egypt to Israel and Jordan.

A Ma'an reporter says Tihi was captured in a beach cabin in el-Arish. Egyptian authorities accused him of killing a police officer and planning to bomb security offices and other targets.

Tihi's family started funeral processions in the central Sinai amidst tension, the reporter said.

Egyptian authorities are maintaining he died of natural causes.
Maan News Agency