For killing 16 police officers in Cairo in August 2013, 183 supporters of the notorious Muslim Brotherhood have been sentenced to death by an Egyptian court.

The death sentences came after the preliminary verdict against 188 defendants in a mass trial in December where two were acquitted while one, a minor, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

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The court dropped the charges against the remaining two, not because the suspects were not guilty but because the court found out that the two were already dead.

The Brotherhood supporters showed their disgust and disappointment after the death sentences were read out. Behind metal cages, the accused shouted profanities and cursed policemen who were present.

Egypt has intensified its crackdown against Islamists, especially following the killings of 16 policemen in Kerdasa in August 2013.

The biggest crackdown on the Brotherhood started following the political demise of ousted president Mohammed Mursi. The Muslim Brotherhood is a known supporter of Mursi.

Since then, thousands of Brotherhood supporters have been arrested and subjected to mass trials. The country's human rights groups said the move only showed the government is systemically repressing opponents.

Egyptian authorities consider the Muslim Brotherhood similar to the Islamic State and Al Qaeda, saying the three shared the same ideology and are equally dangerous.

Last week, at least 26 people, mostly Egyptian government forces, were killed in a series of militant attacks carried out by jihadists.

The soldiers were killed in nearly simultaneous assaults by rockets and a car bomb, the Egyptian government announced.

The jihadists claimed the series of deadly attacks was in retaliation for a government crackdown against Mursi supporters.

The attack was the deadliest since an October 24 assault, also near El-Arish, when militants killed 30 soldiers and wounded scores more.

TagsMuslim Brotherhood, Egypt