The defendants were detained in the Nile Delta governorate of Gharbiya after being accused of planning an attack on St Mary’s Coptic Orthodox Church in Mahalla during Christmas celebrations in 2017.
Ammunition, kaboom, and weaponry were also found in the possession of the accused.
The prosecution charged the defendants with a number of crimes, including establishing and joining a terrorist organization in which aims to subvert the law and the constitution.
Defendants are also accused of embracing "takfiri
...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who most be killed..." ideologies, which encourage the idea of declaring the ruling as infidel thus legitimizing his ouster.
The prosecution said they were accused of allegedly attacking the members of the armed forces and the police as well as Christian citizens and their churches.
The defendants are also accused of funding the ISIS-affiliated organization that they created.
Initial investigation reports of the defendants show that the cell members have received orders to create an affiliate terrorist group to ISIS in Mahalla to propagate their ideology on the internet.