Egyptian Court Continues Trial of 39 in ‘Currency Cell’ Terrorism Case

Egypt’s First Terrorism Circuit, convened in Badr and presided over by Judge Mohamed El-Saeed El-Sherbiny, is set to continue the trial of 39 defendants today, Tuesday, December 23, 2025. The case, registered as No. 580 of 2025, Fifth Settlement Felonies, is widely known as the “Currency Cell” case.

According to the referral order, defendants one through four are accused of leading a terrorist group during the period from 2014 until April 15, 2020. This group allegedly aimed to disrupt public order, endanger the safety and security of society, obstruct the constitution and law, prevent state institutions and public authorities from performing their duties, assault citizens’ personal freedoms, and harm national unity and social peace.

The referral order further states that defendants five through fourteen, and nineteen through thirty-eight, joined the aforementioned group with full knowledge of its objectives. Additionally, defendants fifteen through twenty-eight, and thirty-nine, participated in a terrorist group established in violation of legal provisions.

All defendants also face charges of terrorism financing, a crime often targeted by international bodies like the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Defendants eight through twenty-eight are specifically accused of committing a terrorist act by purchasing foreign currencies from sellers both inside and outside the country, operating outside the official banking system. This action was allegedly intended to disrupt public order, endanger societal interests, and harm economic resources by withholding currency entry, thereby reducing the country’s foreign currency reserves. Such actions, the charges assert, significantly damaged the banking system and the national economy.