Court refers death papers of one defendant in violence case to Mufti

CAIRO - 29 July 2018: Minya Criminal Court referred on Sunday the papers of a death sentence against one defendant of 683 others indicted in the Minya violence case to the Mufti of Egypt while it set September 23 session to utter the final verdict.

The defendants face charges of rioting, sabotage and premeditated murder.

The case dates back to 2014 when 683 supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood stormed a police station in Minya at gunpoint. They killed two police members and attempted to kill other police personnels.

They damaged police vehicles and official documents at the station, helping 31 detainees to escape. They also stole arms and ammunition.

In the first trial, the court sentenced 183 defendants to death, two to life and acquitted 498 others.

The defendants challenged the ruling and the Cassation court ordered a retrial.