Khalid Askar (Ikhwani Militant, Egypt)

• Full name: Khalid Refa’at Gad Askar
• Pseudonym: N/a
• Alternatives: N/a
• Location: Egypt
• Affiliation: fmr Askar and Azab Network [AAN]

Khalid Askar (°1990) is a former science student and Ikhwani militant from the Egyptian city of Mansoura. He joined the Muslim Brotherhood as a teenager in 2007.¹ Askar became active in the neighborhood branch and began instructing young members. After the army deposed Brotherhood president Mohammed Morsi in a coup in July 2013, he took part in mass protests by Islamists in Cairo and Mansoura.² Askar attracted about a dozen associates to help protect demonstrators.³

Following the Egyptian security forces’ crackdown on the protesters in August 2013, Askar and his companions decided to fight back.⁴ He reached out to Salafi acquaintance Ibrahim Azab for help in acquiring weapons.⁵ By the end of the summer, Askar and his men decided to cooperate with Azab and his followers despite their ideological differences.⁶ Askar assumed command of the network’s Ikhwani cell.⁷ He raised funds by collecting donations from members of the Muslim Brotherhood.⁸

Askar played a key role in preparing the Askar and Azab Network [AAN] for action. He actively coordinated with Azab and his men.⁹ Askar oversaw his cell’s planning of operations. He later helped organize and execute the assassination of a policeman in Mansoura on Feb. 28, 2014.¹⁰

The authorities immediately began to hunt down the officer’s killers and arrested Askar and some of his associates on Mar. 07.¹¹ A court in Mansoura sentenced him to death on Jul. 09, 2015.¹² The ruling was cancelled on appeal in April 2017 but upheld by a court of cassation a few weeks later.¹³