Egypt court sentences 13 militants to death
Verdict to be formally announced on Dec. 7
CAIRO: Thirteen members of disbanded militant group Ajnad Misr were sentenced to death on Sunday by a Cairo criminal court after being convicted of launching attacks on security forces, judicial sources said.
The group called Ajnad Misr, or Soldiers of Egypt, had emerged in January 2014 and targeted security forces in and around the Egyptian capital.
Security forces killed the group’s leader in 2015, and many of its remaining members are held in custody.
The court referred its sentencing recommendation to the country’s top religious authority, the Grand Mufti, for a non-binding but legally required opinion.
Once that is received, the court will then formally announce its verdict on Dec. 7, after which time the sentence can be carried out.
Egypt is fighting an insurgency in Sinai that gained momentum in mid-2013 when the military ousted President Mohammad Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood after mass protests against his rule. Hundreds of soldiers and police have been killed.
In July, Egypt established a national council for combating terrorism, giving it broad authority to set policies aimed at “fighting extremism.”
The National Council to Confront Terrorism and Extremism is aimed at mobilizing institutional and societal resources in order to curtail the causes of terrorism and treat effects.
The council is chaired by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and includes the its head of parliament, the prime minister, the head of Al-Azhar, and several ministers.
It is tasked with formulating a “comprehensive national strategy” to combat terrorism and “proposing amendments to existing legislation,” as well as creating job opportunities in areas with high levels of extremism and promoting moderate religious discourse, a presidential decree stated.