Witnesses in the trial of 44 suspects in the Sinai State case revealed Saturday that the accused funded the group out of their own pockets in order to carry out attacks in Egypt. Their plots failed however, due to the preemptive measures adopted by the security forces, they added. Some plots included the targeting of the police chief in Kfar al-Sheikh in the Egypt Delta region. Another “cluster cell” monitored security forces in the Umm Rabih area in the al-Qalyubia region. The suspects are held on charges of inciting violence in Cairo, Giza, al-Qalyubia, Dakahlia, Kfar al-Sheikh, Faiyum and North Sinai. The suspects include Aswan club football player Hamada al-Sayyed. They are charged with forming seven cluster cells and pledging allegiance to the so-called Sinai State terrorist group between 2015 and 2018. They planned to commit terrorist attacks and attacks against the police, armed forced and civilians. The suspects had received training by the group in northern Sinai. Some members had joined the group in Syria where they also received military training. Saturday’s court hearing has been adjourned to September 14 to complete witness testimonies. Security forces had launched in February 2018 an operation to crackdown on terrorist activity in the northern Sinai region.