Egypt prosecutor refers 58 Brotherhood supporters to military prosecution

CAIRO — Egypt's public prosecutor on Sunday referred the case of 58 suspected Muslim Brotherhood supporters accused of committing "terrorist acts" to the military prosecutor, a step that could lead to a military trial even though they are civilians.

Thousands of Islamists have been jailed and hundreds sentenced to death since the government launched a crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013, saying they pose a threat to Egypt's national security.

"Public Prosecutor Hesham Barakat ordered the referral of 58 defendants belonging to the Magholoon [Anonymous] group..., who committed terrorist acts within Giza province from August 2013 until October 2014, to the military public prosecutor," the statement said.

The Brotherhood swept to power after an uprising toppled long-time autocratic ruler Hosni Mubarak in 2011. But after a troubled year in office and mass protests against his rule in 2013, Islamist president Mohamed Morsi was ousted by the army and former army chief Abdel Fattah Al Sisi took the helm after being elected in 2014.

The group of 58 was directed by Brotherhood leaders abroad and is charged with "founding and financing a terrorist group, espionage, attempted murder of policemen, and sabotaging public facilities", the statement said.

Of the defendants, 37 were in custody and the rest at large, the statement said.

A law passed last year enabled civilians to be referred to military courts, a move that was criticised by rights organisations at home and abroad. The crackdown on political opponents has widened to include liberal activists.

Authorities deny allegations of abuse.

Also on Sunday, the board of Zagazig University, in the eastern Nile Delta, expelled Morsi from his post of professor at the Faculty of Engineering, after a court sentenced him in April to 20 years in prison without parole, state news agency MENA reported. The case related to the killing of protesters during his rule.

Morsi is in jail facing a possible death sentence.