Egypt's Suez public prosecution ordered the detention of Mohamed Abdel-Fattah for 15 days pending investigations on charges of plotting terrorist attacks in Egypt, reported state-owned news agency MENA.
Abdel-Fattah, 38, who allegedly just returned from Syria after fighting for the jihadist Al-Nusra Front, is charged with coordinating with militant groups to carry out attacks in various Egyptian governorates.
Security forces confiscated documents and pictures of targeted locations found with the defendant.
A security source told MENA that the defendant left Egypt two years ago to join the fighting in Syria and only returned home recently.
Since former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi's ouster, Egypt has seen a spike in terrorist attacks on security installations and personnel. According to an official statement last month, the attacks have killed over 469 people since July 2013.
The attacks, which initially began in the restive Sinai Peninsula, eventually spread across several governorates, including the capital.
Army troops have conducted a wide crackdown on militants, killing hundreds.
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