Prosecutors on Sunday referred Egyptian police officer Mahmoud El-Shenawy to a criminal court. El-Shenawy is accused of deliberately targeting the eyes of unarmed protesters during clashes with police near the interior ministry last November.

El-Shenawy was arrested last year following the appearance online of footage showing him firing at demonstrators near Cairo's Tahrir Square during November's Mohamed Mahmoud Street clashes as Central Security Forces personnel cheered him on.                           

The police officer, whom activists refer to as "the sniper of the eyes,” denied the charges during questioning, insisting that he had not used, or even carried, live ammunition during last year's infamous standoff against protesters which left 40 dead and hundreds injured.

El-Shenawy now faces charges of attempted murder against five victims whose eyes he allegedly targeted with shotguns loaded with birdshot.

In the same case, 379 protesters have also been charged with illegal assembly and resisting authorities. They were also referred to criminal court on Sunday.