Egypt defers hearing of 30 terrorists accused for joining the ISIS terrorist group

The Cairo Criminal Court postponed the trial of 30 defendants accused of joining ISIS terrorist group to Jan. 15.

Attorney General Nabil Ahmed Sadek ordered earlier referring 30 terrorists to Supreme State Security Emergency Court on charges of forming a terrorist group advocating ISIS takfiri ideology, funding the cell, targeting churches, Christians and vital state institutions, in addition to receiving military training in ISIS camps in Syria and Libya.

The Supreme State Security Prosecution investigations revealed that the National Security sector at the Ministry of Interior identified the members of the organization and arrested them before attacking a church in Asafra, Alexandria.

In the same context, Egypt’s Criminal Court set Jan. 12 as a date for the retrial of 16 people accused in the case known in the media as the “Returnees from Libya”. Two of them have been sentenced to death by hanging.

The Public Prosecution referred the defendants to trial in Feb. 2015, after arresting them at al-Salloum port during their return from Libya. They were accused of involvement in terrorism outside Egyptian territory and planning to target facilities within the country.

They face different charges, including receiving military training by al-Qaeda in Libya, joining an illegal group, the obstruction of provisions of the constitution, paralyzing state institutions, violating personal freedoms and undermining national unity.

Source: Aawsat