Egyptian Court Upholds Death Sentence for 21 Militants

Egyptian Court Upholds Death Sentence for 21 Militants
TT

Egyptian Court Upholds Death Sentence for 21 Militants

Egyptian Court Upholds Death Sentence for 21 Militants

Egypt's highest civilian court on Thursday issued a final ruling upholding a death sentence for 21 suspected militants, a judicial source and the state news agency MENA said.

The defendants were convicted of belonging to Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis group, which changed its name to Sinai Province after pledging allegiance to ISIS.

The suspects were accused of carrying out dozens of deadly militant operations, including against state security facilities and officials.

Another 43 defendants had life prison sentences confirmed, while 10-year sentences were upheld for 23 defendants and five-year sentences for a further 53.



Trump Designates Yemen's Houthis as Foreign Terrorist Organization

Houthi supporters shout slogans while holding their weapons and pictures of Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi during a pro-Palestinian rally following the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal, in Sanaa, Yemen, 17 January 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
Houthi supporters shout slogans while holding their weapons and pictures of Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi during a pro-Palestinian rally following the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal, in Sanaa, Yemen, 17 January 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
TT

Trump Designates Yemen's Houthis as Foreign Terrorist Organization

Houthi supporters shout slogans while holding their weapons and pictures of Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi during a pro-Palestinian rally following the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal, in Sanaa, Yemen, 17 January 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
Houthi supporters shout slogans while holding their weapons and pictures of Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi during a pro-Palestinian rally following the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal, in Sanaa, Yemen, 17 January 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday re-designated Yemen's Houthi militias as a "foreign terrorist organization,” the White House said.

The move will impose harsher economic penalties than the Biden administration had applied to the Iran-backed group in response to its attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and against US warships defending the critical maritime chokepoint.

"The Houthis' activities threaten the security of American civilians and personnel in the Middle East, the safety of our closest regional partners, and the stability of global maritime trade," the White House said in a statement.

The Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships plying the Red Sea since November 2023, saying they were acting in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. They have sunk two vessels, seized another and killed at least four seafarers.

The attacks have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa for more than a year.
The group has targeted the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, which are joined by the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait, a chokepoint between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East.