An Egyptian military tribunal sentenced today seven alleged militants to death and two to life in prison for their roles in consecutive attacks that killed nine soldiers this year, an official said.
The military official said the court issued its decision today after the country's top Muslim cleric approved the initial sentence in August, a necessary step.
In Egypt, civilians accused of attacking members of the armed forces are only tried before military tribunals. Human rights groups criticize military trials for hasty procedures, harsh sentences, and limited transparency.
The verdicts can be appealed, but any appeal would return to another military court.
The defendants are alleged members of the al-Qaida-inspired militant group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, or Champions of Jerusalem.
Originally based in northern Sinai, the group has also claimed responsibility for most of the major attacks in or near Cairo, targeting mostly troops and government installations.
Six of the defendants were arrested in March following a raid on their hideout on the outskirts of Cairo, during which two officers were killed.
The defendants are also accused of plotting two other attacks against a military bus and a military checkpoint, killing seven soldiers. One of the defendants was tried in absentia.
In a detailed investigation of the case and the trial documents, the independent online news site Mada Masr found that two of the defendants were arrested and detained in the second half of the last decade, spending between three and five years in prisons during the reign of Hosni Mubarak.
Mubarak was forced to step down following mass protests against him in 2011.
At least one of the defendants had traveled to Syria to join militants fighting there before returning to Egypt to join Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, Mada Masr found after reviewing the 1,000-page trial file.
