An Egyptian military court sentenced 10 people to death on Wednesday, including two key fugitive terrorists Hisham El-Ashmawy and Shady El-Manaei, on various terrorism charges. The court also sentenced 22 other defendants in the case to 25 years in prison, and four others to 10 years in prison. It also sentenced one defendant to 7 years in prison and two others to 5 years. The sentences can be appealed. The court also acquitted 83 defendants. The military court also referred one defendant to a civilian court. There are 155 defendants in the case, known in the media as the 'Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis 3 trial,' with 89 standing trial in absentia. In October 2017, the military court had issued a preliminary death sentence for 13 defendants, referring the verdict to Egypt's Grand Mufti for a non-binding consultation per Egyptian law. In 2014, El-Ashmawy defected from Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis terrorist group after it declared its allegiance to Daesh. El-Ashmawy then formed a new terrorist group, Al-Morabetoun, which is affiliated with Al-Qaeda. Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, which is based in North Sinai, has claimed responsibility for most of terrorist attacks against security forces and churches in Egypt since July 2013.
