Terrorists affiliated with ISIS thought they were killing Christians, but the victims were in fact Muslim.
The Islamic State (ISIS) affiliate in the Sinai, Egypt, over the weekend beheaded two men that it mistakenly described in a statement as Christian priests, but were later identified as leading Muslim religious figures from among the local Bedouins.
Pictures of the gruesome event were posted on Twitter. They showed one of the men, elderly with a white beard and kneeling in an orange jumpsuit with his neck pressed against a stand. A masked ISIS executioner dressed in black is seen raising a long sword over his head.
The victims were identified as a blind Sufi sheikh, Suleiman Abu Heraz, who was abducted two weeks ago from his farm south of the town of el-Arish. Some reports say he was 100 years old when ISIS killed him. Abu Heraz was considered a local holy man and pilgrims from around the area came to visit him and receive blessings.
The second victim was identified as sheikh Said Abdel-Fattah, a top Waqf (Religious Endowment) cleric abducted a month ago.
The double execution generated an uproar and rage in the Egyptian media.
By: World Israel News Staff
AP contributed to this report