An Egyptian military court sentenced 36 people to death on Tuesday in connection with suicide attacks on churches in Alexandria and Tanta in April 2017.
According to Ahram Online, a total of 48 defendants are being tried in the case. Only 31 of the suspects are currently in custody, and 17 are still at large.
The case has been referred to Egypt's Grand Mufti for his consideration on the death sentence before the final verdict. His decision, however, is nonbinding and the defendants can still appeal the preliminary verdict.
The defendants have been accused of forming a group that backed the suspension of Egypt's constitution, as well as obstructing state institutions from fulfilling their duties and assaulting the personal freedom of citizens.
Three of the suspects are being charged with training other militants in combat tactics, manufacturing explosives and using weaponry.
According to Reuters, public prosecutor Nabil Sadek has said in a previous statement that some of the defendants were leaders in the Islamic State and formed terror cells to conduct the church attacks.
Some of the defendants were also accused of being involved in the attack that killed eight police officers at a security checkpoint in Egypt's New Valley governorate in January 2017.
At least 46 people were killed in the twin suicide bombings that were carried out at St. George's Church in Tanta and St. Mark's Cathedral in Alexandria on Palm Sunday last year. ISIS has taken credit for both attacks.
President Abdel-Fattah immediately declared a three-month state of emergency, which has since been renewed each time it expired.
Egypt's interior ministry announced the day after the attack that seven militants connected to the suicide bombings were killed by the authorities during a shootout.
The military court's preliminary verdict came as Coptic Christians marked the anniversary of the Palm Sunday church bombings.
In an interview with Premier, Rev. Dr. Andrea Zaki Stephanous, president of the Protestant Community of Egypt, expressed fears that a similar attack could occur despite the heightened security in the country.
"When security knows I'm going to a certain church there will be double security, but you never know. You can expect at any moment that someone will come with a bomb and create a massacre. So every day we trust God and we go," he told Premier.
"The good news is we never fear bombs or death. As long as we're committed to Jesus, every time they bomb the church we have double the number of people in church," he continued.
