Egypt military court sends 52 Muslim Brotherhood members to jail

CAIRO (AFP) -An Egyptian military court on Tuesday sentenced 52 Muslim Brotherhood members to jail, including one for life after
accusing them of "aggression" against the army in the city of Suez last month, an army source said.

The source said the court sentenced one Brotherhood member to life, 48 to jail terms ranging from five to 10 years and three to 15 years in prison. Twelve were acquitted.

The Islamists were accused of shooting and using violence against the army in Suez on Aug 14 following a military crackdown on Mursi's supporters in Cairo.

The military court delivered the verdict on Tuesday after holding two hearings against the accused on Aug 24 and 26.

The military had also accused the defendants of carrying guns and throwing molotovs at soldiers.

On Aug 14 the military carried out a deadly crackdown on Mursi supporters in Cairo's Rabaa al-Adawiya and Nahda squares, killing hundreds.

It was the deadliest such crackdown in Egypt's recent history.

Since Aug 14 the Egyptian authorities have carried out a relentless crackdown against Islamists in which more than 1,000 people have been killed and some 2,000 members of the Brotherhood arrested.

The supreme guide of the Brotherhood Mohamed Badie has also been arrested, while Mursi has been in custody since his ouster.

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