8 militants sentenced to death for killing 25 policemen

Accused of killing 25 policemen in an ambush in the peninsular Sinai region last year, eight Islamic militants, including a prominent leader, have been granted death sentence by an Egyptian court here.
Islamist militant Adel Habara and seven others were accused of killing off-duty policemen in an ambush in August 2013, one month after the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. They were also convicted of espionage with al-Qaeda militant group.
The sentence, pronounced yesterday, is not final until it is approved by the Grand Mufti who, according to Egyptian law, must review all death punishment verdicts.
Local media reports that the final ruling in the case is scheduled for December 6.

Habara, an Islamist leader, is also accused of involvement in many other militant attacks including a major one in Rafah in August 2012 which had left 16 soldiers dead.
Militant attacks against police and army have increased since Morsi's ouster last Year and the government's crackdown on his supporters. Over 500 security personnel have been reportedly killed since then.