Cairo court sentences to death 7 elements of Matrouh cell

CAIRO - 25 November 2017: The Cairo Criminal Court on Saturday sentenced to death seven terrorists of the Daesh-affiliated "Matrouh cell" on charges of beheading 21 Egyptian Copts working in Libya in February 2015.

The court also sentenced 10 defendants to 25 years in prison and three others to 15 years in jail.

The sentence included five tried in absentia; three of them are sentenced to death while the two others are handed down a term in jail of 25 years.

The court also ordered that all defendants, except those sentenced to death, remain under police surveillance for five years after serving their sentences.

The defendants were convicted of joining military training camps of Daesh terrorist group in Libya and Syria.

They were also indicted for the crime of slaughtering 21 Egyptian workers in Libya, which was filmed by the terrorist group and released in February 2015.

Explosive materials as well as CDs featuring military training of Daesh militants, were seized in their possession.