Egypt drops terror charges against al-Qaida leader’s brother

PanARMENIAN.Net - An Egyptian court has acquitted the younger brother of al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri of terror charges, the Associated Press reports.

Mohammed al-Zawahiri was arrested at a police checkpoint in August 2013, days after security forces stormed a Cairo sit-in camp by supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, killing more than 600 people.

The younger al-Zawahiri was the leader of a Jihadi Salafist group and was a close ally of Morsi, who hails from the Muslim Brotherhood. He was charged with the formation and leadership of a terrorist organization and with attempting to overthrow the government by force.

In its Thursday, October 15 ruling, the court sentenced 10 of al-Zawahiri's 67 co-defendants to death and handed life sentences to 32 others.