Washington: The US Thursday slapped sanctions on an Egyptian extremist group and a senior leader of the Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the State Department said in a statement.
The State Department blacklisted the Ajnad Misr group and Ibrahim al-Rubaysh as specially designated global terrorists, a move that entails sanctions freezing all of their assets under US jurisdiction and barring American citizens from doing business with them, Xinhua reported.
Ajnad Misr announced its formation in January after breaking away from Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, a group seen by Washington as a foreign terrorist organisation.
The militant group has since claimed numerous attacks on Egyptian security forces, government buildings, public spaces and universities, the statement said.
Al-Rubaysh is described as a senior advisor for AQAP operational planning who had called on Muslims to wage war against the US. The department offered a reward of $5 million for information on him in October.
The Obama administration is helping Yemen fight the AQAP by stepping up the use of drones.