Egypt condemns 14 to death for attack
- Category: Africa
- Written by Reuters
An Egyptian court sentenced to death on Tuesday 14 people it said were Islamist militants for a deadly attack on a police station in North Sinai last year, a court official said.
The ruling may add to tension in the volatile region bordering Israel, where fighting between security forces and militants has intensified since August 5 when 16 border guards were killed in an attack blamed on Islamist groups.
The condemned men were convicted for attacking a police station in north Sinai’s main town of al-Arish in July 2011, killing an army officer, five policemen and a civilian, the court said.
Footage from inside the court showed bearded defendants, wearing the white overalls issued to detainees, standing or sitting in a metal cage. One was brought into court in a wheelchair. Six of the condemned men were present in court, others convicted in absentia.
They were all accused of being members of Al-TawhidWal Jihad, one of the banned groups being targeted in a security crackdown on militants in the desert peninsula.
—Reuters
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