Egypt: A court sentences 10 Brotherhood members to death on charges of planning attacks

An Egyptian criminal court on Sunday sentenced to death 10 members of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is listed in some countries as a terrorist organization, accused of committing acts of violence against police forces between 2013 and 2015.

Middle East Online quoted a judicial official as saying: “The Terrorism Department of the Cairo Criminal Court referred the 10 defendants’ papers to Grand Mufti Shawki Allam for his opinion in issuing a death sentence against them, in accordance with the legal procedures in Egypt”.
Of the 10 defendants whose papers were referred to the Grand Mufti, 9 are in custody and 1 is on the run. The 10 defendants were among a group of 215 defendants, 53 of whom are being tried in absentia, the source said.

The 10 defendants are accused of leading a group that carried out acts of violence against policemen and police facilities between 2013 and 2015, when it witnessed attacks against police and judges in Egypt.

These attacks followed the removal of the late President Mohamed Morsi, who belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood, on July 3, 2013, almost a year after his election.
Since November 2013, the Egyptian authorities have banned the group and designated it a terrorist organization. In July last year, an Egyptian court sentenced 24 other members of the group to death, including eight who were tried in absentia.

In November last year, 22 jihadists, including a former police officer, were sentenced to death for 54 attacks, including the assassination of an Egyptian intelligence officer.
Since 2013, when President Mohamed Morsi was deposed, Egypt has been engaged in a battle against terrorism, particularly in the Sinai Peninsula, where extremists loyal to ISIS are entrenched.

The Egyptian army has killed hundreds of members of the Sinai Province organization in a military campaign that is still ongoing. Dozens of police and soldiers have been killed in terrorist operations and ambushes, and scores of civilians have been killed in terrorist operations.