Egyptian Court Overturns Hamas “Terrorist” Designation

Ruled that it lacks jurisdiction to make the determination, the Egyptian Emergency State Security Court on Monday overturned an earlier decision to list Hamas as a terrorist organization. The same court last March ordered the Islamist group’s assets to be seized and its activities banned. The suit and appeal related to attacks carried out in the northern Sinai Peninsula where most terrorist acts are conducted by Ansar Bayt Al-Maqdis, a group that claims allegiance to ISIS. On Monday, the Ma’an news agency reported a vigilante attack on a vehicle carrying four men believed to be associated with Takfiri terrorists who killed family members of the attackers. The occupants of the vehicle were gunned down and the vehicle set on fire.