The absentia conviction of four men was referred to Grand Mufti Shawqi Allam for an advisory opinion; the four were charged with collaborating with Al-Qaeda, MENA reported.
The defendants allegedly provided Al-Qaeda with information on the stationing and numbers of Armed Forces personnel. The Cairo Criminal Court, presided by Judge Shaban el-Shami will pronounce the verdict Feb. 8 after receiving the Mufti’s unbinding opinion.
One of the four had been held in detention, but was previously released after serving the maximum remand of two years, according to Youm7. The whereabouts of all four remain unknown.
Judge Shami sentenced 26 people to death in absentia in March for forming a terrorist cell targeting ship in Suez Canal between 2004 and 2009. He is also the judge presiding over the case of the Natroun Prison break, in which former President Mohamed Morsi is charged with illegally escaping from prison during the January 25 Revolution.
