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Egypt refers 61 defendants to military prosecution for targeting judges and security personnel
Supporters of deposed President Mohamed Mursi take part in a rally in Alexandria November 1, 2013. REUTERS/Stringer
CAIRO, May 23 (Aswat Masriya) - Egypt's top prosecutor referred on Saturday 61 defendants to the military prosecution, accusing them of creating committees within the banned Muslim Brotherhood to target judges and security personnel.
Prosecutor General Hisham Barakat said in a statement that the defendants formed committees to become "a military wing of the Muslim Brotherhood" in the governorates of Damietta and Menoufia.
The committee members are accused of manufacturing explosives and storing them, as well as training new members and harbouring them.
"All was done with the purpose of targeting judges, army and police personnel, public, judicial, police and military facilities and some vital facilities in Damietta and Menoufia to incite chaos ... and topple the state," the statement read.
The Sinai-based militant group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis called for attacks on judges in a recording last week. The authenticity of the audio recording could not be verified by Aswat Masriya.
Militancy inside Egypt has seen a significant rise since July 2013, with most attacks occur in North Sinai and target security forces.
Ansar’s call came after gunmen opened fire on a vehicle in al-Arish last week, leaving three prosecutors and a driver dead. The attack closely followed a court decision preliminarily sending Mursi and 105 other defendants to death.
Prosecutor General Barakat said in Saturday's statement that the 61 defendants admitted to the attempted murder of police officers if "death sentences against leaders of the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood are carried out."
Saturday's referral came in accordance to a presidential decree issued by Abdel Fattah al-Sisi last October. The new law, which is valid for two years since its issuance, refers crimes committed against the state's public and "vital" facilities to the military judiciary.
Egypt listed the Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation in December 2013 and insists it is behind the stringent wave of militancy which has targeted security personnel. The Brotherhood continuously denies this.
