Egypt's Court of Cassation sentenced on Wednesday nine people to life over terrorism charges and acquitted 41 others in the case known in the media as "the violent incidents of Al-Maghara" in Sohag. The court also handed a 15-year prison sentence against a convict in the case, a 10-year sentence against three, and sentenced four others to five years. The ruling of the cassation court is final and cannot be appealed. A life sentence in Egypt is 25 years. The case dates back to 2015 when police arrested some of the defendants in a cave in Sohag while in possession of weapons and ammunition, according to the prosecution. The case includes 190 people; only 66 have been arrested and the other 124 have fled and are still sought by the police. The defendants have faced charges including planning to carry out terrorist crimes and targeting police officers as well as economic and public institutions. They have also been charged with attempting to overthrow the regime.
