Egypt court recommends execution of 36 defendants over terrorism

CAIRO, April 10 (Xinhua) -- An Egyptian military court referred the files of 36 defendants to the country's Grand Mufti on Tuesday for his non-binding opinion on their execution over terrorist charges, Egyptian state media reported.

The 36 are part of a group of 48 defendants who have been charged with forming a terrorist cell that launched simultaneous church bombings that killed dozens in Cairo, Alexandria and Gharbiya in April last year, state-run Akhbar el-Yom news website reported.

The Islamic State (IS) terrorist group claimed responsibility for the deadly church attacks.

After getting the Mufti's opinion, the court is expected to issue a verdict on May 15.

Since February, Egypt has been launching a massive anti-terror campaign named "Sinai 2018," which left 167 terrorists and 24 soldiers dead so far.

A wave of terrorist activities started in Egypt following the military ouster of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests.

Terror attacks used to be centered in Egypt's North Sinai province bordering Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip.

The attacks killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers in the restive province before they extended to other provinces and started to target the Coptic minority via church bombings and shootings.

Terrorists in Egypt did not stop at targeting security personnel and Copts, as they stormed a mosque in North Sinai's Arish city last November, killing more than 300 Muslim worshippers and injuring over 120 others, marking the deadliest terror attack and the first against a mosque in Egypt's modern history. Enditem