Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, August 9, 2015
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Prominent Islamist dies in Egyptian prison
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleA leading member of Egypt’s hard-line Islamist group Gamaa Islamiya, which waged an armed insurgency against the government in the 1990s, has died in prison, an official said Sunday.
Interior Ministry official Maj. Gen. Hassan el-Sohagi said that Essam Derbala, 58, died of natural causes. A statement from Gamaa Islamiya’s political party accused Egyptian authorities of “assassination,” saying authorities intentionally deprived Derbala of medicine and subjected him to psychological torture.
A prison official, speaking on condition of anonymity as he wasn’t authorized to speak to journalists, denied the group’s accusations.
Derbala was arrested earlier this year and accused of inciting violence.
— AP
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