Tribal sources in Sinai said that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham is supporting the operations of the al Qaeda-linked Ansar Bayt al Maqdis (Ansar Jerusalem), local jihadists have been trained in Syria, and the ISIS flag has been seen in militant operations near Sheikh Zuweid and Rafah. Security forces killed at least 19 militants in a raid in Sheikh Zuweid in North Sinai on June 23, and eight more on June 21. Three policemen in Qalyubia are suspected of working with Ansar Jerusalem. Six Muslim Brotherhood supporters were sentenced to five years in prison for participating in protests and clashes in March. An Egyptian reporter and Christian convert was sentenced to five years in prison for “inciting sectarianism.” A mass trial of nearly 500 Islamists accused of participating in deadly clashes last August in Cairo will be held in July. Australia protested the sentencing of Peter Greste, an Australian reporter who worked for Al Jazeera.
