Officials say the largest group of prisoners, about 300, was freed Tuesday to mark the birthday of the Prophet Mohammad, which is a traditional occasion to release detainees

Egyptian authorities say about 950 prisoners, all members of the militant Gamaa Islamiya group, have been released over past 10 days.

Officials say the largest group of prisoners, about 300, was freed Tuesday to mark the birthday of the Prophet Mohammad, which is a traditional occasion to release detainees.

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One of those freed is Najeh Ibrahim, who was jailed in 1989.

The Egyptian government detained thousands of Gamaa Islamiya members and their supporters in the early 1990's, when the group waged a low-level guerrilla war targeting mainly Christians and foreign tourists. 

Authorities blamed the group for the 1997 attack on tourists in Luxor that killed 58 people, most of them foreigners. 

Egyptian security forces largely crushed the militant group, which renounced violence in 1999.