9 extremists get death penalty in Egypt over terrorism charges

An Egyptian court on Tuesday sentenced nine extremists to death over charges of embracing extremist ideologies, targeting security forces and associating with the Islamic State (IS) militant group, official MENA news agency reported.

The Zagazig Criminal Court in the Sharqiya province, 65 km north of Cairo, convicted the nine defendants including renowned extremist Adel Habbara, in addition to charges of gun possession and explosives.

Security forces had previously arrested the Sharqiya group stating they possessed a number of homemade explosive devices, explosive belts, guns and ammunition.

The prosecution accused them of inciting violence, recruiting youth for terrorist activities, attempting to hinder the constitution and overthrow the regime.

Egypt witnessed a rising wave of terrorism since the military overthrew former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, following mass protests against his controversial one-year rule.

The ensuing security crackdown on his supporters and the firm dispersal of their sit-ins in mid-August 2013 left almost 1,000 dead and thousands in custody.

Since then, extremist self-proclaimed Islamists, believed to be among Morsi's supporters, launched nationwide anti-establishment terrorist attacks targeting police and military forces and their facilities particularly in Sinai leading to the death of hundreds.

The Sinai-based Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis group, pledging loyalty to IS changed its name to "Sinai State" and claimed responsibility for most anti-establishment attacks.

The new military-inclined leadership under President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi designated the Muslim Brotherhood group as a "terrorist organization," forging ahead with security campaigns against the group and its followers.

Cairo's Criminal Court handed Morsi and over 100 others death sentences last week over their role in a mass jailbreak during the 2011 uprising which toppled ex-president Hosni Mubarak.

The same court sentenced 16 leading members of the currently-outlawed Brotherhood group to death over an espionage case. The death verdicts can still be appealed.

Morsi and his supporters' cases have been sent to the Mufti for his non-binding Islamic legal opinion regarding their execution. Endit