Egyptian court upholds execution of 3 over killing senior policeman

CAIRO, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- An Egyptian top court upheld on Saturday the execution of three men convicted of killing a security chief in Giza following the ouster of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in 2013, official MENA news agency reported.

The verdicts of the Court of Cassation are final, as they came in a retrial after initial verdicts were appealed by the defendants.

The court also sentenced four to 25 years in prison, instead of their appealed death penalties, and five others to 10 years.

The case dates back to mid-August 2013, when militants stormed a police station in Kerdasa district of Giza province near Cairo, leaving 17 dead including 14 policemen.

The attackers are mostly furious loyalists of Morsi and his now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group who violently protested over the military removal of Morsi and the later security crackdown on his supporters that left hundreds dead and thousands arrested.

Morsi was ousted by the military in early July 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year reign. His Brotherhood group was later designated by the new leadership as a terrorist organization. Morsi and most of his aides and followers are currently in custody.

Since Morsi's ouster, Egypt has been suffering terrorist activities that killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers as well as civilians. Most of the attacks were claimed by a Sinai-based terrorist group affiliated with the regional Islamic State militant group.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian security forces have killed hundreds of terrorists and arrested thousands of suspects during the country's anti-terror war declared by President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, the army chief then, following Morsi's disposal. Enditem