20 MB loyalists sentenced up to 25 years over terror charges

CAIRO – 5 July 2018: The Cairo Criminal Court sentenced on Thursday 20 outlawed Muslim Brotherhood (MB) loyalists to 10 to 25 years in prison over forming a terrorist cell that targeted policemen, soldiers and judges.

At some point in late 2013 and early 2014, senior MB leader Mohamed Kamal and others, including many younger generation leaders and supporters, set up ‘special operations committees’ to execute small-scale attacks.

The committees were formed as part of a ‘disorientation and attrition’ strategy that was directed against the Egyptian government.

Six of the defendants were sentenced to 15 years in prisons, while the other 14 defendants were sentenced to life in prison.

Among the defendants in custody is Abdullah Shehata, the economic adviser of former Brotherhood-oriented President Mohamed Morsi, who was ousted following the June 30 revolution.

The court, led by Chancellor Shabib Al Dhamrani, convicted the defendants of possessing machine guns, ammunition and explosives to carry out terror activities and destabilize the country and its security.

Morsi is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence over inciting deadly clashes between his supporters and opponents in late 2012 and a 25-year term over leaking classified documents to Qatar.

Since Morsi's ouster, Egypt has been facing a wave of terror attacks that have killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers as well as civilians.

A Sinai-based militant group affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) regional terrorist group has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks in Egypt over the past few years.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian forces have eliminated and arrested hundreds of terrorists and destroyed many terrorist cells during the country's anti-terror war declared by President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.