Egypt sentences 10 to death for 'plotting terror attacks'

Egypt sentences 10 to death for 'plotting terror attacks'
Ten people were sentenced to death in Egypt for forming a 'terror cell' and plotting to attack government and police institutions, AP reported.
2 min read
11 March, 2018
Shattered glass following the Imbaba terror attack [Getty]
The Giza Criminal Court sentenced ten people to death in Egypt for forming a 'terror cell' and plotting to attack government and police institutions, according to reports.

The court also sentenced five to life in jail in what is known as the Imbaba terror cell - a group accused of bombing a courthouse in the Cairo neighbourhood in 2015.

The defendants are reportedly members of the outlawed Muslim Brothood. They were found guilty of planning to attack state institutions, target Coptic Christians and disrupt public order, among other charges. 

The defendants reportedly established the 'Imbaba terror cell' between 2013 to March 2015. Criminal proceeds for the case began in September 2015 after the State Security Prosecution investigated the defendants.

Saturday's official verdict came after consultation with Egypt's Grand Mufti over preliminary death sences that were handed out earlier. The consultation is a required formality in the case of capital punishment. 

Three of the 15 defendants were tried in absentia. Life sentences in Egypt are capped at 25 years.

Authorities have carried out a wide-ranging crackdown since ousting former Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in July 2013. Hundreds have been sentenced to death, and tens of thousands are currently behind bars. 

Presidential elections are scheduled for 26-28 March, with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi virtually guaranteed to secure a second term after outlawing the Muslim Brotherhood and sidelining or arresting at least five major candidates in the lead up to the race. 

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