The Cairo Criminal Court sentenced Tuesday two defendants to 5 and 10 years in prison, in their retrial in the case known as the “Zeitoun cell”. The defendants are accused of adopting an armed jihadist ideology and committing an armed robbery at a jewelry shop in Zeitoun, Cairo, killing its owner and three workers.
The State Security Prosecution accused the defendants of forming a terrorist group called "Regiment of Loyalty and Disavowal" (Sareyet Al-Walaa wa Al-Bara') that called for revolting against the ruler and changing the ruling regime by force. The defendants were also accused of monitoring Egypt's oil pipelines and ship movements in the Suez Canal in order to plan attacks on oil facilities and ships.
According to the prosecution, they sought to disable the constitution and state institutions and assault police and tourists. The security bodies seized equipment that could be used to manufacture engines possibly used for producing drones to be employed in violent acts of the cell, and design vehicles that can be controlled remotely, and create V1 missiles, which were used in World War 2, etc.
In another context, Basateen Misdemeanor Court in Cairo ordered the release of Economist Abdul Khaliq Farouk alongside a publisher, pending an investigation into accusations of publishing "fake news". Their detention followed the publication of a book entitled"Is Egypt Really a Poor Country?"
