After the Port Said criminal court Saturday ordered death sentence for 21 people convicted for the Port Said riots in which over 70 were killed last February, families of the convicts violently attempted to break into the prison where they are detained, Xinhua reported.
As many as 73 people, including nine top security officials, were arrested after February riots at Port Said stadium last year following a soccer match between Port Said's al-Masry and Cairo's al-Ahly teams.
"The final verdict for the rest of them will be announced March 9," said Sobhy Abdel-Meguid, the presiding judge of Port Said criminal court.
Thousands of Cairo-based soccer fans expressed overwhelming happiness over Saturday's verdict. The fans, who had vowed earlier to retaliate for their killed fellows, celebrated the court's decision in front of their club and then moved to Tahrir square in Cairo.