Three Egyptian army officers convicted of 'plotting coup'
Three Egyptian army officers convicted of 'plotting coup'
The Egyptian regime has convicted three soldiers of plotting a takeover in a secret military trial – the fourth of its kind since Sisi led the 2013 military coup.
2 min read
This is the fourth case of an alleged attempted military takeover since 2013 [Getty]
An Egyptian military court sentenced two army officers to life in prison on Tuesday for "plotting a coup" and belonging to the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood.
The court also sentenced a third defendant to five years in prison, in the fourth case of an attempted government overthrow since the 2013 military coup.
"A naval colonel and two infantrymen, one of which is a reserve officer, were found guilty," a source in the Egyptian judicial system told The New Arab.
Last October, it emerged that 26 military officers were handed down sentences ranging from ten years to life for disclosing military secrets, belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood and plotting for a military coup.
Two members of the Muslim Brotherhood, Helmy al-Gazzar and Mohammad Abdel Rahman, were sentenced in absentia to life in prison in the case.
Egyptian investigative journalist Hossam Bahgat was detained for several days in November for "spreading false news and harming the national interest" after he wrote a report on the closed-doors trial of the 26 officers.
In December, it also emerged that three army officers had been sentenced to death for allegedly planning to assassinate Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Sisi, who as army chief ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, has overseen a police crackdown that has killed hundreds of supporters of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood.
Since then, thousands of Morsi supporters have also been jailed or killed, while many including the ousted president have been sentenced to death or lengthy jail terms.
The Brotherhood, Egypt's biggest political opposition force for decades, has been blacklisted as a "terrorist group" and saw its assets confiscated.
The court also sentenced a third defendant to five years in prison, in the fourth case of an attempted government overthrow since the 2013 military coup.
"A naval colonel and two infantrymen, one of which is a reserve officer, were found guilty," a source in the Egyptian judicial system told The New Arab.
Last October, it emerged that 26 military officers were handed down sentences ranging from ten years to life for disclosing military secrets, belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood and plotting for a military coup.
Two members of the Muslim Brotherhood, Helmy al-Gazzar and Mohammad Abdel Rahman, were sentenced in absentia to life in prison in the case.
Egyptian investigative journalist Hossam Bahgat was detained for several days in November for "spreading false news and harming the national interest" after he wrote a report on the closed-doors trial of the 26 officers.
In December, it also emerged that three army officers had been sentenced to death for allegedly planning to assassinate Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Sisi, who as army chief ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, has overseen a police crackdown that has killed hundreds of supporters of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood.
Since then, thousands of Morsi supporters have also been jailed or killed, while many including the ousted president have been sentenced to death or lengthy jail terms.
The Brotherhood, Egypt's biggest political opposition force for decades, has been blacklisted as a "terrorist group" and saw its assets confiscated.
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