Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis releases video showing the beheading of “army collaborators

Sinai-based militant group Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis (ABM) released a new video online early Tuesday showing the beheading of eight men from North Sinai tribes, alledgedly for collaborating with Egyptian armed forces and Israeli Mossad.

The 13-minute video starts with images of civilians purportedly killed by Egyptian security forces during their ongoing military operation against the militant group in North Sinai. The video does not mention the place or date of these deaths.

At the end of this first part, a voiceover vows to avenge the deaths.

The second part shows militants opening fire from a moving vehicle on two men in civilian clothes sitting in their truck on the side of a street. The video’s subtitles claim that the men were security officers in plain clothes.

The third part shows six men from North Sinai tribes “confessing” to having collaborated with the Egyptian armed forces and the Israeli Mossad in front of the camera.

One member, reportedly from the North Sinai tribe of Armilat, says he has helped the Israeli Mossad to hunt down members of ABM. Five men, reportedly from the North Sinai Al-Sawarka and Armilat tribes, say they have co-operated with the Egyptian army in its military campaign against the militant group.

The fourth part of the video, which is the most graphic, shows eight men being decapitated by what appear to be the militants wearing military uniforms and black scarves around their heads, before displaying some of their bodies along the side of a tarmac road in broad daylight.

The video does not mention a specific date for the beheadings.

Security experts believe that the beheadings are a message to tribes in North Sinai not to collaborate with the Egyptian security forces.

YouTube has removed the original video due to its graphic content, but the footage has since been uploaded again to other social media websites.

In April 2014, an Egyptian court ruled that ABM was a terrorist organisation.

In November 2014, Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis announced that it pledged allegiance to Islamic State changing its name to “Sinai Province”.

ABM has previously claimed responsibility for beheading others in North Sinai for collaborating with the Egyptian security forces, as well as several attacks against security forces in North Sinai and other governorates in Egypt .

Last 29 January, the militant group claimed responsibility for attacks in North Sinai that left at least 30 dead, most of whom where army personnel.

Militant attacks have soared in North Sinai over the past 18 months, and expanded into Cairo and the Nile Delta, killing hundreds of army and police personnel.

Hundreds of civilians have also fallen victims.