Egyptian man jailed for killing Shia cleric in 2013

By Rabie Abu Zamil

CAIRO (AA) - An Egyptian court on Thursday sentenced a man to 14 years behind bars for killing four people -- including a prominent Shia cleric -- in 2013.

In June of 2013, four Shia Muslims, including cleric Hassan Shehata, were killed by a mob in Egypt’s Giza province south of capital Cairo.

In 2017, the Court of Cassation, Egypt's highest appellate court, upheld 14-year jail terms handed down earlier against nine people accused of complicity in the crime.

Defendants were convicted on charges including premeditated murder, illegal weapons possession and incitement to violence.

On Thursday, Saad Mahmhoud, a tenth defendant convicted of involvement in Shehata’s murder, was likewise slapped with 14 years behind bars.

The sentence can still be appealed before a higher court.

It remains unclear how many Shia Muslims live in predominantly Sunni Egypt.