BICOM

The leader of an al-Qaeda inspired Islamist group in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, which borders Israel, has been shot dead.

The circumstances surrounding the death of Shadi al-Menei, who headed the Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, or ‘Defenders of Jerusalem’ group remain unclear. AP reports that 15 men in vehicles attacked el-Manaei’s car to avenge the killings of tribesmen by his group. However, AFP reports that Egyptian security forces claim to have opened fire on al-Menei and his accomplices, preventing them from carrying out an attack on a gas pipeline in central Sinai.

Al-Menei’s killing is a significant development in the ongoing armed conflict between Egypt’s army and Islamist extremists in Sinai. The region has become increasingly violent and lawless since the ousting of the Muslim Brotherhood last summer. It is estimated that Ansar Beit al-Maqdis has been responsible for the deaths of more than 200 Egyptian soldiers and officials since July 2013. Their operations have included the shooting down of an Egyptian military helicopter and the assassination of Egypt’s Interior Minister in the country’s capital Cairo.

Al-Menei’s death comes just a week before Egypt goes to the polls to elect a new president. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the former military chief who spearheaded the overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood is expected to be elected with a huge majority. He has placed great importance on law and order and railed against Islamist extremism, banning the Muslim Brotherhood. Al-Menei’s death could further boost al-Sisi’s electoral credentials.

Ansar Beit al-Maqdis’s campaign of violence has also targeted Israel. They have launched rocket attacks as recently as January, with two Grad rockets landing near Israel’s southernmost city Eilat. In a statement claiming responsibility for the attack, the group said, “Our war with the enemy in Egypt will not distract us from the war with the nation’s first enemy, Israel.” They also perpetrated a suicide attack in January, on a tourist bus about to enter Israel from Sinai, killing three South Korean tourists and an Egyptian bus driver.