A court in Egypt today sentenced nine militants to life in prison for plotting terrorist attacks against security forces, foreign missions and ships passing through the country's vital Suez Canal.
Four other defendants were sentenced to 10 years in prison, while another four were sentenced to 7 years and one was acquitted, in what is locally known as the "Nasr City Cell" case.
The militants, who were arrested last year in an apartment in Nasr City district in Cairo, were accused of establishing and managing an illegal terrorist organisation and planning attacks targeting police and army personnel, diplomatic missions and ships sailing through the Suez Canal.
During the trial, the defendants, described by the police as members of an ultra-conservative jihadist group, held up photos of al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, Youm 7 website reported.
Yesterday, a military court had sentenced seven militants to death while two others to life in prison on charges of killing two army officers last March.
The seven defendants sentenced to death were also convicted of possession of weapons, resisting authorities, and involvement with the Sinai-based militant organisation Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis.
