Egypt upholds death penalty for 13 on terror charges

Egypt's highest appeals court on Tuesday upheld the death sentence awarded to 13 people on charges of terrorist attacks.

The appeals of 39 people were rejected by the Court of Cassation, official news agency MENA reported.

The court also confirmed life sentences, an equivalent of 25 years in prison in Egypt, against 17 people. Other verdicts varied from 15 years to five years in prison.

The defendants were found guilty of targeting security check points and police stations as well as planting explosive devices outside a university campus in December 2014 and the presidential palace the following month, Xinhua news agency reported.

The case dates back to 2013, just after the Army-led ouster of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.

The prosecutor said these people established a group named Egypt Soldiers which called for killing the ruler, assaulting police and armed forces institutions, murdering Christians and destroying churches.

Their attacks on the security checkpoint at Cairo University killed a police officer, three soldiers and wounded several policemen, according to the prosecution.

Hundreds of Morsi's loyalists and members of his outlawed Muslim Brotherhood have been subject to trials over charges of murder, espionage and terror. IANS