CAIRO, Jan 6 (Aswat Masriya) - The Cairo Criminal Court referred two, out of 23 defendants, to the Grand Mufti to review death sentences handed to them over complicity in violence that erupted in front of the US embassy in 2013.

Consulting Egypt's Grand Mufti is a procedural step adopted in all cases which involve death sentences. The Mufti's rulings are not binding, yet it is customary for the court to adopt them.

The court has set Feb 7 to issue the verdict.

The defendants in the case stand accused of illegal assembly, exposing public peace to danger, premeditated murder, sabotaging public facilities, disrupting laws and acquiring weapons, among other charges.

The incident dates back to October 2013, when clashes erupted between former president Mohamed Mursi's supporters and security forces in front of the US embassy, following the dispersal of Rabaa and Nahda square sit-ins.

Both encampments were held in support of Mursi who was ousted by the military in July 2013 following protests against his rule.