26 Sentenced to Death for Plotting Suez Canal Ship Attacks

An Egyptian court sentenced 26 people to death on Wednesday for plotting attacks on ships passing through the Suez Canal, a judicial source said. The defendants were tried in absentia.

The verdict by the Cairo Criminal Court came after judges held only one session in the case. One of the defendants, younger than 18, did not receive a death sentence.

The prosecutors charged the group with planning terror attacks on ships passing through the country’s vital waterway, as well as targeting security buildings, foreign tourists, Christians and police. The defendants were condemned for "founding and leading a terror group that aimed to attack people's freedom, damage national unity and (attack) the Suez canal waterway", according to one source.

An Al-Qaeda-inspired group, Furqan Brigades, attacked vessels passing through the canal last year and have vowed to conduct more attacks in the future. However, it was unclear if those sentenced on Wednesday are linked to that group.

According to the Washington Post, courts in Egypt routinely convict defendants and give the maximum sentence to those tried in absentia. However, once caught, the defendants receive an automatic retrial.

An Islamist insurgency has gained momentum since the army overthrew President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in July. 

The Suez Canal is owned by Egypt, but governed by an international treaty that guarantees free navigation. It provides a vital link between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, and is 125 miles long.

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