Libyan commander hands over prominent militant to Egypt

Libyan forces loyal to a commander pushing to take the capital of Tripoli say they have handed over to Egypt a prominent Egyptian militant captured last October.

Khalifa Hifter’s self-styled Libyan National Army said on its Facebook page late Tuesday that Hisham el-Ashmawi was returned to his home country.

El-Ashmawi is wanted in several attacks in Egypt, including a 2013 attempted assassination on the interior minister.

The development follows a recent meeting between Hifter and Egypt’s intelligence chief, Abbas Kamel, in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi. The city serves as Hifter’s base.

Egyptian TV networks aired footage of el-Ashmawi, a former army officer, landing on a military aircraft early Wednesday in Egypt.

Libya’s turmoil following the 2011 toppling and killing of Moammar Gadhafi enabled the rise of Islamic militants.