On December 12, the Supreme State Security Court began...

On December 12, the Supreme State Security Court began trial of 14 Islamic militant suspects, who are charged with joining illegal groups, assassinating public officials and seeking to topple the Egyptian government. They were involved in terrorist acts in the governorates of Minya, Beni Suef, Fayoum and Giza in the period between 1994 and 1996. If convicted, the defendants will face death penalty. About 1,200 people, mostly militants and police, have been killed since militant groups started an armed struggle to topple President Hosni Mubarak's secular government and set up a purist Islamic state. Violence has declined over the past two years, however.