An Egyptian court has handed death sentences to a prominent television presenter and 11 other defendants in what official media described as a sprawling drug case.
State outlets on Saturday identified the presenter as Sarah Khalifa, 39, saying she and the others were convicted of forming an organised criminal gang to manufacture and traffic narcotics. The report did not provide additional detail about the evidence presented at trial or the identities of the other defendants.
Khalifa is best known for hosting the programme Mission Impossible, which dealt with security and crime-related topics and brought her a high public profile. The broadcast did not include comments from Khalifa, her legal team, or representatives of the media outlet associated with her work.
Official coverage characterised the case as extensive but gave few further particulars about the proceedings, sentencing rationale, or potential next steps in the legal process. International and domestic reactions were not reported in the dispatch from state media.