Egyptian court jails 18 alleged anti-coup supporters

By Hussein Mahmoud Ragab Elkabany and Zeynep Tufekci

CAIRO (AA) - An Egyptian military court on Tuesday reportedly handed prison terms to 16 alleged anti-coup supporters for criminal offenses.

In a statement, defense committee member Khalid Al-Misri said the northern Cairo court sentenced 16 people to 25 years after convicting them of "attacking public institutions and forming an armed bandit group" between 2013 and 2014 while another two defendants were each handed 15-year jail terms for the same offenses.

In the same case, 37 people were acquitted due to a lack of evidence, according to Misri.

Egypt has remained roiled by turmoil since the army ousted and imprisoned Mohamed Morsi, the country's first freely elected president, in a 2013 military coup.

Since then, hundreds of people have been sentenced to death or lengthy prison terms after being convicted of acts of violence.