Egypt Tightens Security Laws to Counter Terrorism
Local Editor
Egypt said Thursday it has boosted punishment for "terrorist" offenses and expanded the scope of crimes that fall under that category, a day after bombings killed a top police officer.
The legal amendments will come in force when interim president Adly Mansour approves the government-penned draft.Egypt has been hit by a string of bombings and shootings targeting the security forces since the army ousted Brotherhood president Mohammed Mursi last July.
On Wednesday, a police general was killed and five policemen were wounded when three bombs exploded near Cairo University.
"The cabinet approved amendments to the penal code and the criminal procedure code to strengthen punishments for acts of terrorism," the military-installed body said.
It said that more tribunals tracking terrorism-related cases would be set up.
"The amendments have broadened the definition of terrorism," justice minister Nayyer Abdelmoneim Othman told private satellite channel CBC Extra.
He further said: "They reflect what is happening now and take into consideration many things that have changed in the past three years."
Othman added that there were some groups who were a "burden to the country's security", referring to Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood movement.
The Brotherhood was designated a "terrorist organization" after the authorities blamed it for several deadly bombings. It regularly calls for pro-Mursi protests which often descend into clashes with police or his opponents.
The government says militants have killed almost 500 people, mostly policemen and soldiers, in attacks since Mursi's overthrow.
"These amendments give the authorities power to pursue these crimes, detect them and firmly confront them," Othman said.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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