In a statement posted on its Facebook page, the self-styled Libyan National Army, a militia allied with authorities in the country's east, said Hesham Eshmawi was captured in an "operation" early Monday in the eastern town of Derna, long a stronghold of Islamic militants. Image copyright Libya National Army Image caption Libya National Army shared a picture of Hisham Ashmawi on Facebook

Security forces in Libya have captured one of Egypt's most wanted jihadists during an operation in the eastern port city of Darnah. A Twitter account run by LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mosmari published a mugshot of el-Ashmawi with a bloodied face. Egyptian authorities say Ashmawy heads the Ansar al-Islam network, which claimed responsibility for an ambush against police in Egypt’s Western Desert one year ago. According to Egyptian authorities, he is believed to have been behind a 2013 assassination attempt against Egypt's then-Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim and several deadly ambushes of security forces in Egypt's Western Desert, near the Libyan border.
A Libyan National Army operation in Derna results in the capturing of Hesham Ashmawy, one of Egypt's most wanted militants.