The Cairo Criminal Court sentenced Tuesday eight defendants to death on charges of premeditated murder; illegal demonstration; destruction of public property, police cars, and private vehicles; and possession of live ammunition.
The case originally included 68 defendants, 50 of whom were previously sentenced to life in prison; 7 received 10 years, and 3 received 5 years.
The defendants stormed Helwan Police Station on 14 August 2015, state-media reported. Investigations revealed that the defendants attacked the police station with stones, Molotov cocktails, butane cylinders, and guns.
Three police officers and three civilians were killed in the incident, while nineteen were injured including police officers. The police station was burnt, and 20 police vehicles and private cars were destroyed.
The court fined the defendants EGP 1,375,000 for the damage in the police station, in addition to EGP 1 million as compensation for the Ministry of Interior.
Egypt witnessed several attacks that targeted police officers, judges, military personnel, and public figures since the dispersal of the Rabaa Al-Adaweya sit-in in 14 August 2014, where supporters of former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi were demonstrating against his ouster.
