An Egyptian court yesterday sentenced 14 Islamists to death for attacks on security forces in the Sinai Peninsula, showing Egypt’s determination to put down militancy in a region critical to relations with neighbouring Israel.
The Jewish state has voiced concern about security in Sinai, where at least four cross-border attacks have taken place since president Hosni Mubarak was toppled in February 2011. The Islamist president, Mohamed Mursi, has made the issue a priority since he was elected in June.
Sixteen Egyptian guards were killed in August, and hundreds of police and troops with tanks and helicopters have been sent to raid militant hideouts and seize weapons in an operation co-ordinated with Israel. – (Reuters)