Egypt on Tuesday overturned the death penalty and jail sentences for seven defendants who have been accused of establishing links with Daesh.

The Court of Cassation ordered a retrial of the cases by the criminal court, the official Middle East News Agency, MENA, reported.

The defendants were referred to the criminal court along with 13 others in 2014 by the country's late Attorney General, Hisham Barakat, accused of creating a terror cell that carried out hostile acts against police and army personnel. They were also accused of embracing extremist ideologies and establishing links with Daesh.

The court had already sentenced four of the other defendants to death, three of which were in absentia, two others were sentenced to 15 years in prison with hard labour, six to 10 years with hard labour, and one defendant was acquitted, added MENA.