An Egyptian court upheld death sentences on Saturday against five people convicted of charges including killing a policeman and carrying weapons, judicial sources said.
Judge Moataz Khafagi had referred the case to the country’s highest religious authority for consideration, a necessary step before any execution can be carried out.
The men were charged in connection with an attack on a church in January in the western Cairo suburb of 6 October City. Coptic Christians, which make up about 10 percent of Egypt’s 86 million people, have been targeted by militants.
The men sentenced on Saturday did not have any clear affiliation. One of them is on the run, the sources said. Two other men were sentenced to life in prison, though all the sentences can be appealed against.
Cop’s killing: Egypt upholds death for five
Cop’s killing: Egypt upholds death for five
