CAIRO - Egypt's most active militant group, Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, denied in a Twitter message on Tuesday that it had pledged allegiance to Islamic State and it distanced itself from a statement that appeared in its name online.

However, a message on a Twitter feed which claims to be the official account of Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, and which has issued other statements on behalf of the group in recent months, said on Tuesday the announcement did not come from them.

"The statement that has been circulated in the media and is sourced to us, regarding the group's declaration of allegiance to the Caliphate of the Muslims, is nothing to do with us," said the tweet.