March 19, 2014: Egypt's Grand Mufti, the country's top Islamic jurist, ratified a Cairo criminal court ruling sentencing 26 people to death for terrorism offences. One of the defendants, younger than 18, did not receive a death sentence, but 15 years in prison.
The defendants were tried in absentia on charges including planning attacks on ships passing through the Suez Canal, manufacturing missiles and explosives to carry out attacks, monitoring and planning to attack security targets, and possession of guns, automatic rifles, explosives and ammunition.
Investigations showed the defendants were planning attacks against army and police personnel, Christians and tourists, all of whom they deemed infidels, and also attacks on churches, the public and private property of Coptic Christians, foreign and petroleum installations, and the Suez Canal.
The case goes back to 2010, when 27 people were charged with planning attacks on the Suez Canal, but were released due to lack of evidence.
The case was revived in 2013, amid a rising wave of violent attacks in the country. They were referred to a Cairo criminal court in November, and a ruling was made on 26 February 2014. The defendants' legal papers were sent to the Grand Mufti of Al-Azhar in late February.
They were sentenced in absentia, including five who had turned themselves and were already in detention. But they did not attend the session, and an automatic retrial is expected because even those in jail were sentenced in absentia.
Source: Ahram Online and macon.com, March 19, 2014
