Report: Egyptian court sentences 12 to death for ISIS affiliation
The new anti-terrorism law approved last month carries a death sentence for those forming or leading terrorist groups.
By JPOST.COM STAFFIslamic State-affiliated Sinai Province fighters in the Sinai Peninsula(photo credit: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/ARAB MEDIA)
An Egyptian court sentenced 12 men to death on Saturday on charges of forming an ISIS affiliated terror cell in the region according to reports by Egyptian media.The accused faced charges of acting to form a terrorist cell with the intent of overthrowing the government, targeting security forces, and "disrupting the provisions of the constitution."According to the new Egyptian anti-terrorist law approved by President Abdul Fattah Sisi last month, forming or leading a group deemed a "terrorist entity" by the government is punishable by death or life in prison.Egypt has been facing an increasingly violent insurgency in North Sinai, where the most active militant group has pledged allegiance to Islamic State. Cairo and other cities have also witnessed attacks.Sisi has since overseen a crackdown on Islamists. Thousands of alleged Islamist supporters have been jailed and scores have been sentenced to death, including Morsi and other senior Muslim Brotherhood figures.Reuters contributed to this report.