Egypt sentences six to death on terrorism charges

An Egyptian court has sentenced six people to death for their roles in a 2016 militant attack on a security checkpoint north of Cairo that killed a policeman.

Cairo Criminal Court on Tuesday also sentenced two defendants to life in prison and four others, including a 15-year-old, to between 3 and 15 years.

All were charged with “establishing a terrorist group” among other charges for the attack on security forces.

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The death sentences came after the court received approval from the grand mufti, the country’s highest Islamic authority.

Egypt has cracked down on suspected Islamists since the military ousted an elected but divisive Islamist president in 2013. Since then, hundreds of Islamists, including Muslim Brotherhood members, have been sentenced to death.

The authorities have carried out dozens of executions.