A Cairo criminal court approved on Thursday the release of 11 Black Bloc members who were arrested last month in light of protests by the high court.

The defendants, who were accused of attempting to vandalize public and private property, denied all charges. 

A number of them claimed they were arrested due to their coincidental presence near the confrontations, while others insisted they were at a nearby cafeteria when they were arrested. 

Egypt’s public prosecutor has declared the Black Bloc a terrorist group, accusing its members of establishing the movement to commit crimes and terrorist acts, including robbery, murder, vandalism, and disrupting public order.