An Egyptian court sentenced the Muslim Brotherhood's top official Mohamed Badie and 14 others to life in jail on Monday on charges of murder and inciting violence during a protest near Cairo last year.

The session had been designated for witness statements to be heard but the judge surprised journalists and others present by issuing a verdict.

Badie, the general guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, is among hundreds of the organisation's members who have already been sentenced to death in mass trials that have drawn criticism from Western governments and human rights groups. -Reuters