6 sentenced to death over attacking police ambush

CAIRO - 28 August 2018: The Criminal Cairo Court ruled on Tuesday, that six individuals were found guilty of encroaching and attacking a special police unit in Cairo and will be executed for their crimes.

Aside from their involvement in terror-related crimes, the attack on the ambush, which is located in Al-Khasos city in Qaluybia governorate, resulted in the death of a police officer and also left others injured.

The court also sentenced two defendants to life in prison (25 years), a minor to 15 years of intensive imprisonment and another defendant to five years in the same case that is known in the media as "Khosous Ambush."

Back in 2017, there were initially 12 accused of the crime; however, those facing death penalty are Islam Mohamed, Mohamed Sabri, Mohamed Nasar, Ibrahim Abd El-Daher, Abd ElRahman Mostafa and Mohamed Mahmoud Hesham.

According to the investigations, the first defendant in 2016 established and lead a terrorist group contrary to the provisions of the law that was aimed at disrupting and preventing state institutions and public authorities from fulfilling their duties.

This group also aimed to change the regime by force, by attacking police authorities and armed forces. The other defendants also joined this terrorist group and they were taught how to use firearms to assassinate policemen.

The investigations revealed that the defendants, from first to fifth, ninth, eleventh and twelfth provided the group with the necessary funds, firearms and explosives so that they can carry out terrorist attacks.

With respect to the crime of assassinating a police officer at a special police unit, the defendants all participated in the assassination of Moustafa Mohammed Amin, a police sergeant, as he was at the special police unit when the incident occured. The third defendant also took footage of the assassination as it happened.

In June, the court presided by Judge Shaaban Al-Shamy, referred the case to Grand Mufti, Egypt’s top religious body authorized to issue Islamic rulings on the execution of the six convicted.