Egypt sentences three to death for attacks on police

A court in Egypt has sentenced three people to death for their involvement in the killing of policemen and belonging to an armed group.

The defendants were found guilty by a Cairo criminal court on Sunday of being involved in the killing of 10 policemen, including an officer, between August 2013 and May 2014.

The charges also included establishing and running an armed group known as Ansar al-Sharia.

Both the defence and prosecution have the right to appeal.

Four others were sentenced to life imprisonment – a 25-year term in Egypt – and seven defendants to 15 years in prison. Nine of the 23 defendants were acquitted.

Egyptian courts have issued or confirmed a large number of death sentences in recent weeks.

On Thursday, a military court sentenced 17 people to death for attacks against churches in 2016 and 2017 that killed a total of 74 people.

On Monday, four fighters belonging to ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant), also referred to as ISIS, were sentenced to death, while on September 8 a court upheld death sentences for 75 people, including leaders of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood movement.

In 2013, armed groups launched a campaign against the government in Egypt after Mohamed Morsi, the country’s first democratically elected leader, was forced out by the military.

The Egyptian military says around 300 suspected jihadists and at least 35 soldiers have been killed since it launched an operation in February against fighters in the Sinai Peninsula.