Hard-line Islamist leader dies in Egyptian prison, authorities cite natural causes
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}An Egyptian security official says a leading member of the hard-line group Gamaa Islamiya has died in prison.
Interior Ministry official Maj. Gen. Hassan el-Sohagi said on Sunday that Essam Derbala died of natural causes.
A statement from Gamaa Islamiya's political party accused Egyptian authorities of "assassination." It said authorities intentionally deprived Derbala of medicine and subjected him to psychological torture.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The statement called for responsible officials to be prosecuted.
Derbala was arrested earlier this year and accused of inciting violence. He was imprisoned in a high-security facility in Cairo called Scorpion.
Gamaa Islamiya waged an armed insurgency in Egypt in the 1990s. The group later renounced violence and was a strong ally of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi before and during his year in office.