In a security operation in Assiut on Monday 17 February, Egyptian police forces killed eight highly dangerous criminals, including a fugitive sentenced to 191 years in prison, following a violent shooting that left one officer injured.
The operation targeted a criminal gang heavily involved in drug trafficking, illegal firearms possession, extortion, and instilling fear among residents in the Sahil Selim area, Asyut Governorate.
The gang was led by Mohamed Mahsoub Ibrahim Ahmed, a fugitive wanted in 44 felony cases encompassing charges such as drug trafficking, murder, illegal weapons possession, armed robbery, arson, and vandalism.
Mahsoub had been sentenced to 191 years, while other members of the gang face similarly lengthy sentences, with one individual receiving 108 years for various violent crimes.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Interior, the criminal group had been hiding in mountainous regions and frequently utilized a fortified hideout in the village of Al-Afadra, which they had reinforced with trenches and bunkers to evade law enforcement.
Investigations conducted by the Public Security Sector and the Criminal Investigation Department confirmed the gang’s activities included the importation of narcotics and unlicensed weapons, which contributed to the climate of fear in the community.
In response to the threat posed by this gang, police forces, including units from the Central Security Sector, initiated a raid to apprehend the criminals.
During the operation, the suspects fiercely resisted, opening fire with RPGs, F1 grenades, and automatic rifles. In an attempt to obstruct the police forces, they also detonated gas cylinders to prevent entry into their fortified hideout.
The exchange of fire ultimately resulted in the deaths of all eight criminals and injuries to a police officer from the Central Security Forces.
The operation also resulted in the capture of substantial cache of weaponry and narcotics, including RPG launchers, two Grenov machine guns, 73 automatic rifles, a multi-barrel machine gun, 11 pump-action shotguns, 62 locally manufactured firearms, eight F1 grenades, and a significant amount of ammunition of various calibers.
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