Egypt's Criminal Court has handed down a final death sentence to a man convicted of the October 2017 killing of a Coptic priest in a north-eastern suburb of Cairo, Egypt’s Ahram Online reported Monday (February 12th).
The court's verdict comes two months after it convicted 19-year-old Ahmed al-Sonbaty and issued a preliminary death sentence.
The preliminary sentence was referred to the country's Grand Mufti, whose opinion is legally required in death penalty cases, although it is not binding.
The final sentence, issued with the Mufit's approval, can still be appealed.
Al-Sonbaty was convicted of killing Coptic Orthodox priest Samaan Shehata in Cairo's al-Salam city and assaulting another called Beyman Moftan.
He was found guilty of premeditated murder of the Coptic priest, who hailed from Beni Suef governorate in Upper Egypt.
According to investigations by the prosecution, al-Sonbaty does not suffer from a mental illness and was "fully conscious" while committing his crime.
Al-Sonbaty said he did not know Shehata personally, according to the prosecution, but attacked him using a cleaver when he saw him wearing a Coptic vestment.
