Egypt says kills top militant leader in Sinai

CAIRO (Reuters) - A top leader of Egypt's most active Islamist militant group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis was killed on Friday by Egyptian soldiers in the lawless north of the Sinai Peninsula, a military spokesman said on Facebook.

Sinai-based Ansar, which seeks to topple the government, has killed hundreds of Egyptian soldiers and police over the past year and beheaded several people in recent weeks, saying they were spies for Israeli intelligence.