CAIRO, May 22 (Aswat Masriya) – The Cairo Criminal Court referred  seven runaway defendants, allegedly Muslim Brotherhood supporters, to Egypt's Grand Mufti to explore his opinion over sentencing them to death for violence in 2013.

Egypt's prosecution had accused the defendants of "murdering a child, attempted murder using firearms, plundering public funds, threatening the use of violence and displaying thuggery during their participation in an armed protest in al-Omrania area in Giza late 2013."

After receiving the Mufti's opinion, the court will issue the final verdict in the case on July 17, the state-owned MENA reported.

Earlier in May, the Cairo Criminal Court referred six defendants in the 'Qatar espionage' case to the Grand Mufti. The case also includes former president Mohamed Mursi who is set to receive his verdict along with the rest of the defendants in the case on June 18. 

Mursi, who was ousted in July 2013, and the rest of the defendants, including two of his aides, are accused of leaking classified national intelligence to the Qatari intelligence.

Referring defendants to the Grand Mufti is a procedural step which must precede sentencing them to death. The Mufti's opinions are not legally binding, yet it is customary for the court to adopt them.

Since the military ouster of former president Mursi following mass protests against his rule, insurgency and political violence have grown in intensity, particularly following the forced dispersal of the Rabaa al-Adaweya and Nahda sit-ins that were held in support of the ousted president.

Egypt listed the Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation in December 2013 and insists it is behind the wave of militancy which has targeted security personnel since Mursi's ouster.

The Brotherhood continuously denies the accusations and maintains that the group's demonstrations are "peaceful".