CAIRO, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The Egyptian public prosecution referred on Wednesday 11 defendants to criminal court over involvement in the assassination attempt of the former security chief of the northern seaside province of Alexandria.

The defendants are accused of leading and joining Hasm militant group affiliated with the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group of ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, according to a statement from the public prosecution.

Two of the 11 defendants are in custody while the remaining are fugitives.

They are facing charges of attempting to murder Alexandria's former security chief Mustafa al-Nemr and killing two of his guards, vandalizing public and private properties and making and possessing weapons.

Hasm emerged in Egypt in late 2016 and is seen by the police as the armed wing of Morsi's Brotherhood, designated by Egyptian authorities as a terrorist organization.

Hasm claimed responsibility for a number of terrorist attacks that killed policemen in Egypt.

Terror activities in Egypt have killed hundreds of policemen, army soldiers and civilians since the military toppled Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year controversial rule and his Brotherhood group.

The Sinai-based branch of the Islamic State (IS) regional militant group claimed responsibility for most of the terror operations in Egypt over the past few years.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian security forces killed hundreds of terrorists and arrested thousands of suspects during the country's war on terror declared following Morsi's ouster. Enditem

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