Egyptian court sentences 26 people to death for plotting Suez Canal attack

A fisherman sits on the bank of the Suez Canal in Ismailia, Egypt in this December 14, 2005 file photo. REUTERS/Aladin Abdel Naby/Files

(Reuters) - An Egyptian court sentenced 26 people to death on Wednesday for plotting attacks on ships passing through the Suez Canal, judicial source said.

The defendants were tried in absentia. An Islamist insurgency has gained momentum since the army overthrew president Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in July.