Egyptian court sentences 26 people to death for plotting Suez Canal attack

[February 26, 2014]  (Reuters) - An Egyptian court sentenced 26 people to death on Wednesday for plotting attacks on ships passing through the Suez Canal, judicial source said.

The defendants were tried in absentia. An Islamist insurgency has gained momentum since the army overthrew president Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in July.

(The story corrects day in first paragraph)

(Reporting by Mahmoud Murad, Writing by Michael Georgy, Editing by John Stonestreet)

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