Egypt court sentences 7 to death for Daesh links

By Mostafa Eid and Sayed Fathi

CAIRO

An Egyptian court on Saturday sentenced seven people to death for links with the Daesh terrorist group, according to a judicial source.

The seven were among 20 people accused by the authorities of embracing Daesh ideology and participation in the killing of 21 Egyptian Copts in Libya in early 2015.

Three of the defendants were tried in absentia.

The court also jailed 10 people for life and three others for 15 years for forming a Daesh-linked terrorist group in the western Matruh province near Libya’s border, the source said on condition of anonymity because he was unauthorized to speak to media.

Defense lawyer Khaled al-Masri, for his part, denied the charges against his clients.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, al-Masri said that the defendants had been arrested from their homes in late 2015 and had no relation to the killing of Copts in Libya.

The verdict came one day after militants attacked a mosque in Egypt’s restive Sinai Peninsula, killing more than 300 worshippers and injuring scores.

Egyptian authorities declared a three-day mourning period with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi vowing a firm response following the attack.