The salafi organization Ansar Bait al-Maqdis operating in Sinai published a video on Sunday of an execution of four men suspected of collaborating with Israeli Mossad and Egyptian army. Three of the men were beheaded.
In the video the voice of Islamic State leader is heard and photos were shown of Ansar Bait al-Maqdis militants destroying the homes of people suspected of collaboration. One of the organization's seniors was heard criticizing the Egyptian army for "cooperating with the Jews and in fact neglecting the country's defense".
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"These are your sons, continuing to harvest the spies of the Jews," a spokesman for the group says in the video.
The gruesome footage shows the three men confessing before being decapitated by masked men. Their detached heads are then placed on their backs.
Egyptian soldiers praying in Sinai (Photo: AFP)
A fourth man, shown confessing to being an informant for the Egyptian military, is then mown down by bullets.
The filmed killings were reminiscent of images posted on the Internet by Islamic State, which has seized large parts of Iraq and Syria. The footage also included a clip from a recent speech by Islamic State's spokesman, suggesting that Egyptian militants were increasingly inspired by the al Qaeda-offshoot now notorious for summary executions and beheadings.
Islamic State has attracted a following from Egyptian Islamists on social media sites. Egyptian security sources estimate that up to 8,000 Egyptians are fighting abroad with militant groups such as Islamic State and al Qaeda.
At home, Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis has become a major security problem for the government, killing scores of police and soldiers in the increasingly lawless Sinai Peninsula, which is bounded by Israel, the Gaza Strip and the Suez Canal, one of the world's most important shipping routes.
Though the Sinai militants are not believed to be officially affiliated to Islamic State, an Ansar commander told Reuters last month that Islamic State had been advising them on how to operate more effectively.
Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis said in August that it had beheaded four Egyptians for providing Israel with intelligence for an air strike that killed three of its fighters. It posted footage of the killings on Twitter.
Last month, Sinai residents said they had found a beheaded corpse bearing a note signed by the group, accusing the victim of being an Israeli spy.