11 Morsi supporters handed life sentences

Dozens more sentenced to five years behind bars; five acquitted for violence in Suez in August

CAIRO — An Egyptian military official said a military tribunal sentenced 11 supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi to life imprisonment and 45 others to five years in prison over charges of assaulting army troops during riots last month in a Suez Canal city.

The official said the defendants were arrested after attacking troops, sabotaging armored vehicles and torching churches on August 14 and 16 in the city of Suez.

The riots were part of nationwide violence sparked by a bloody crackdown on two pro-Morsi encampments in Cairo that left hundreds dead. The ensuing rioting in Suez left nearly 30 dead.

Five other defendants in the trial were acquitted. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.