The judge presiding over the Port Said massacre trial on Saturday has given 21 of the defendants the death penalty and has referred their case to the Grand Mufti who will decide if they are to receive the death penalty or not. By law the Grand Mufti has the final say over which defendants have their death penalties carried out
There are over 70 defendants in the case, which includes nine police officers. The judge ruled that the remaining defendants will have their verdict read on 9 March.
None of the police officers were handed a sentence on Saturday, and rumours suggest six of the accused were never apprehended by the police, and their whereabouts are unknown.
Al-Ahly fans and the families of the Ahly victims erupted in cheer at news of the verdict, while in Port Said residents attempted to storm the prison in which many of the defendants are held. Within two hours of the verdict, clashes in Port Said resulted in at least eight deaths and 50 injuries. Two of the deaths the state-run news agency MENA reported were police officers.
