Egypt Accuses Hamas, Muslim Brotherhood Of Chief Prosecutor's Killing

Egypt has accused the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and the Palestinian militant group Hamas of involvement in the killing of Egypt's chief prosecutor Hisham Barakat last year.

Interior Minister Magdy Abdel-Ghaffar told reporters on March 6 that the car bombing that killed Barakat was carried out by members of the Muslim Brotherhood trained in the Gaza Strip by Hamas.

Ghaffar said 14 people were arrested in connection with the prosecutor's assassination.

He said that attack was ordered by Turkey-based officials of the Muslim Brotherhood while Hamas provided training and explosives.The minister said "this is a very big conspiracy that started a long time ago."

Hamas denied the accusation, describing it as "baseless."

Barakat, 65, was killed outside his Cairo home in June 2015. There was no claim of responsibility for the attack. The Muslim Brotherhood denied involvement.

Barakat had sent thousands of supporters of Islamist former President Mohammed Morsi to jail after his ouster in 2013. 

Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, and the BBC