Egypt sentences 37 to death including top militant leader
An Egyptian court on Monday sentenced to death 37
defendants, including one of the country’s most high-profile militants,
following their conviction of terrorism-related charges.
The Cairo Criminal Court said the defendants were
charged with belonging to a local affiliate of the Islamic State group
spearheading an insurgency in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
Egypt has been fighting for years militants in the
restive northern Sinai area and the vast Western Desert.
200 defendants accused of carrying out more than 50
militant attacks that included killing high-ranking police officers and
bombings that targeted the Egyptian capital’s police headquarters.
The court also sentenced 61 defendants to life in
prison, and 85 others got sentences ranging from 15 to 5 years in prison.
