A leader in an Egyptian terror group that has claimed responsibility for downing the Russian Metrojet flight has been killed, Egypt’s state media reported Monday.
The Middle East News Agency cited the Interior Ministry as its source, but details on who killed Ashraf Ali Ali Hassanein al-Gharabali and how he died were not immediately forthcoming.
It was not clear whether Egyptian authorities believe al-Gharabali was involved in the Metrojet crash, which killed 224 people on October 31.
MENA described al-Gharabali as “the most dangerous leader” of the ISIS affiliate in Sinai formerly known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis. He was allegedly involved in the attempted assassination of Egypt’s former interior minister and the thwarted attack on the the Karnak Temple in Luxor in June.
The U.S. State Department designated Ansar Beit al-Maqdis a terrorist organization in April 2014. Since then, it’s been reported the group is linked to ISIS.
British and U.S. officials have said they believe a bomb brought down the Metrojet plane, based on intercepted communications between ISIS-linked militants in Sinai and ISIS operatives in Syria.
The Sinai affiliate has publicly claimed responsibility for downing the plane, but so far hasn’t explained how it was done. That’s prompted questions about the claim among some observers, considering ISIS’ tendency to often publicize its acts for propaganda value.