Egypt sentences 7 militants to death over killing of 25 soldiers in Sinai

CAIRO – An Egyptian court has sentenced seven Islamic militants — all but one in absentia — to death over the killing of 25 soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula last year.

The Tuesday decision focused on chief suspect Adel Habarra. The decision is to be reviewed by the country's grand Mufti, whose opinion is consultative. A final ruling is scheduled to be issued on Dec. 6.

The attack last year saw Islamic militants ambush two minibuses carrying off-duty policemen in a broad daylight near the border town of Rafah, days after security forces killed nearly 1,000 people in a crackdown on sprawling protest camps in Cairo by supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. A month earlier, the military overthrew Morsi after mass demonstrations demanding his resignation.