Egypt sentences 22 members of Muslim Brotherhood to death
CIA director met with Egyptian President on Sunday in Cairo; three killed in Sinai blast.
By ARIEL BEN SOLOMON, REUTERSThe Rabaa sign is flashed, symbolizing support for the Muslim Brotherhood(photo credit: REUTERS)
An Egyptian court sentenced 22 members of the Muslim Brotherhood to death on Monday over an attack on a police station in a district outside Cairo in 2013, judicial sources said.The assault was part of a wave of violence that rocked the country after the army removed elected Islamist president Mohamed Morsi from power following mass protests against his rule in June 2013.One other defendant, who is a juvenile, was given a 10-year sentence, the sources said. A lawyer for the convicted men said they would appeal.The defendants were convicted of murder, attempted murder and the destruction of public facilities, among other charges during an attack on the police station in Kerdasa district, in which one policeman was killed.The judge overseeing Monday’s decision was Mohamed Nagi Shehata, who has played a prominent role in the Egyptian judiciary’s mass jailings of Islamist and liberal demonstrators.Also, US CIA director John Brennan met with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday in Cairo in order to discuss ways of improving bilateral relations and regional developments, the presidency said in a statement, the Aswat Masriya website reported.Sisi and Brennan agreed to continue coordinating in troubled spots in the region and the fight against terrorism, said the statement.Relations between the two countries seem to be improving as of late as the US announced on March 31 that it was lifting its hold on the supply of military equipment to Egypt, which was frozen when the army took power in Cairo nearly two years ago.The White House said President Barack Obama was freeing up the equipment and making other changes to military ties with Washington’s longtime ally to support US interests while encouraging Egypt’s political reforms.Obama directed the release of 12 Lockheed Martin F-16 aircraft, 20 Boeing Harpoon missiles and up to 125 M1A1 Abrams tank kits made by General Dynamics, National Security Council spokesperson Bernadette Meehan said.
