File photo of Policemen stand guard in Cairo, Egypt April 28, 2017. (Reuters)
An Egyptian criminal court issued on Sunday death sentences against three defendants who were convicted on terrorism-related charges in the 2014 case known in the media as the Ansar Al-Sharia case.
The court also sentenced four defendants to life in prison and seven others to 15 years. Nine other defendants in the case have been acquitted.
The court's verdict can still be appealed.
Sunday's sentence comes nearly four years after the 23 defendants in the case were referred to criminal court.
In 2014, the defendants were charged with establishing and running the Ansar Al-Sharia terrorist group, attacking police and army personnel and institutions, as well as targeting government facilities and Christians and their places of worship.
The prosecution charged that between August 2013 and May 2014 in Beni Suef, Sharqiya and Giza, the defendants managed a terrorist organisation and received funds to carry out hostile operations against the state and the citizens.
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