The Cairo criminal court referred to the grand mufti on Tuesday four detainees charged with forming a “terrorist cell.”
The mufti will examine their case and issue his non-binding opinion on whether a death sentence against them should be upheld.
Sentences against 30 other members of the “terrorist cell” will be announced on February 19. The charges against them include forming an illegal group, violating public property and the possession of weapons and ammunition for terrorist purposes.
Separately, the Giza criminal court sentenced to various prison terms 262 suspects for security-related offenses over the “al-Nahda sit-in” of 2013.
Seventeen people were sentenced to life in prison, 223 were given 15 years and another 22 accused were given three years.
The court acquitted 115 others accused in the case.
The court also ordered that those sentenced be fined a total of nearly 40 million Egyptian pounds ($2.27 million) for damaging public property.
The accused in the case were arrested while authorities were dispersing a rally held in the aftermath of the ouster of former President Mohammed Morsi in 2013. Their trial has taken up three years, while some other detainees are waiting appeals of their sentences.
Charges against them include murder, resisting authorities and possession of arms.
Earlier on Tuesday, Egypt’s Interior Ministry announced that eight terrorists were killed during a security raid in the al-Arish region.
