Police captain sentenced to death

A police captain’s death verdict in Qena was referred to the Grand Mufti of the Republic on Saturday, according to state-owned MENA.
Third Circuit Qena Criminal Court in the town of Nagaa Hammadi sentenced Police Captain Mahmoud Fathi Al-Attar to death, finding him guilty of killing two people and stealing EGP 130,000. As mandated by Egypt’s legal procedures, the death sentence will be referred to the Grand Mufti of the Republic for final approval.
A salesperson and a driver were killed in January 2012 and their bodies were left at the entrance of the village of Abu Hazaam. Subsequent investigations implicated Al-Attar and he was reportedly found with a matching weapon in his home.
The court is scheduled to reconvene on 2 June following the Mufti’s decision for the final verdict regarding the captain and other members of the defence.
Harsh sentences are uncommon for policemen in Egypt.
Last month the vice warden was sentenced to 10 years in prison, while three police officers were given 1 year suspended sentences over the deaths of 37 detainees inside a police vehicle on 18 August 2013.
Last year the Cairo Criminal Court sentenced police officer Mahmoud Sobhy Al-Shennawy, popularly referred to as the “eye sniper”, to three years in prison. He was charged with attempted murder of peaceful protesters after videos emerged of him shooting protesters during the November 2011 clashes on Mohamed Mahmoud Street, deliberately targeting their eyes.