CAIRO, June 14 (Xinhua) -- An Egyptian court on Thursday sentenced 11 members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group to death over killing and wounding policemen, official news agency MENA reported.

The crime dates back to August 2013 when the convicted have ambushed a police vehicle and opened fire at it.

The court referred the sentence to Grand Mufti, the country's highest Islamic official who will give the religious judgment of all preliminary death sentences.

The Mufti's opinion is non-binding as it is usually considered a formality, but his final opinion could reduce the penalty.

In a different case, Zagazig criminal court in Sharqia governorate also sentenced five Brotherhood loyalists to 25 years in prison, which equals life sentence in Egypt, on charges of possessing publications that incited violence and riots against Egyptian armed forces, policemen and state facilities that took place in May 2015.

Egypt has been experiencing anti-security attacks since the army-led ouster of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

North Sinai province is the main stronghold of the terrorist groups in Egypt, especially the IS-affiliate "Sinai State," which claimed responsibility for killing hundreds of policemen and troops.