Court hands life sentences in terror case

CAIRO – 19 July 2017: Northern Cairo Criminal Court handed life sentences to four people and 15-year sentences to two others for their role in attempting to murder judge Moataz Khafagy. The defendants are said to have tried to bomb Khafagy’s house.

Khafagy is the judge prosecuting members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, accused of running the operations room at the Rabaa sit-in during the ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

The convicts are fugitive to Germany Osama Ibrahim Ali Omar, Mohamed Taha Wahdan, Guide’s office member Mohamed Said Elewa Taha, coordinator of terror attacks southern Cairo Abdel Rahim Mabrouk El Sawy, the team leader Hassan Abdel Ghaffar Sayed Abdel Gawad, and Mohamed El Sayed Mahmoud.

Ali Omar was convicted of leading an outlawed group called the Muslim Brotherhood Support Alliance, believed to be responsible for coordinating with terrorist committees affiliated with the Brotherhood to conduct hostile attacks against state institutions. He has since 2013 fled to Germany.

Elewa Taha and Taha Wahdan were accused of leading these committees through the Brotherhood’s supreme guide office.