CAIRO

An Egyptian military court has sentenced a top militant to death for killing 21 soldiers in 2014, the country's military said Wednesday. 

In a brief statement, army spokesman Col. Tamer al-Rifai said: "The Military Criminal Court ruled today on the case known as Farafra to punish defendant Hisham Ali Ashmawi by hanging."

Al-Rifani did not clarify whether the verdict was final or could be appealed.

A former special forces officer, Ashmawi was arrested by East Libyan-based forces in late 2018 and extradited to Egypt this May.

According to Egyptian media, Ashmawi is the leader of the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Murabitin group in Derna, eastern Libya.

Ashmawi reportedly left Egypt in the immediate wake of the 2013 coup against Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first freely-elected president and a Muslim Brotherhood leader.

Morsi died this June in the midst of a trial.