Hundreds of death sentences have been handed down against members of the Muslim Brotherhood. Photo: BBC NEWS

The men were convicted over the deaths of at least 11 officers in Kerdasa.

The attack took place after Egyptian military forces cracked down on Islamist supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi that July.

Hundreds of death sentences have been passed on Mr Morsi's supporters but none have been carried out.

Mr Morsi will face a new espionage trial on 15 February, Egypt's official Mena news agency says.

He and 10 others will be charged with leaking "classified documents" to Qatar and Qatari-based broadcaster al-Jazeera.

Mr Morsi is already facing three other trials, including another case of espionage. He could be given the death penalty if found guilty.

Appeal still possible

More than 140 of the 188 defendants in the Kerdasa case are already in custody, while the rest have been sentenced in absentia.

The court also sentenced a minor to 10 years in prison in the case, and two other defendants were acquitted.

The verdict follows a recommendation by Egypt's top religious authority, the Grand Mufti, but it can be appealed against.

Last month, the death sentences of 37 people were overturned on appeal.

The defendants had been convicted of attacking a police station in Minya, south of Cairo, on the same day as the Kerdasa attack.

The original trial also saw some 377 people sentenced to life in prison in absentia.

The United Nations has called the mass trials "unprecedented".

Mr Morsi was succeeded by President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, a former military chief who has been heavily criticised for his crackdown on Islamists.

Hundreds of people, mostly Islamists, have been killed since the army deposed Mr Morsi.