Egypt sentences 8 jihadists to death

An Egyptian court Tuesday sentenced to death eight jihadists found guilty of acts of violence against the security forces and belonging to groups that incite "terrorism", a judicial official said.

"The criminal court in Zagazig condemned eight jihadists to hang after they were found guilty of belonging to takfiri (Sunni extremist) groups," the official said.

The city of Zagazig is in the Nile Delta north of the capital.

They were also sentenced for "incitement to terrorism and violence and... incitement to kill members of the army and police," he said.

Five of the eight condemned men were sentenced in absentia.

Jihadists in Egypt, primarily in the Sinai Peninsula, have staged regular attacks on the security forces since the then army chief and now President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi after a single year in power.

Hundreds of Morsi supporters have been killed and thousands jailed in a crackdown. Dozens more, including Morsi himself, have been sentenced to death after mass trials.
Source: AFP