Turk among 21 Students Facing Egypt Trial over Protest outside al-Azhar

An Egyptian court was to try 21 Islamist university students Sunday, including a Turkish man, after a violent protest outside the prestigious al-Azhar religious institution, prosecution officials said.

The students at al-Azhar University in Cairo are accused of attacking the headquarters of the Sunni Muslim authority in a November protest.

A court has already sentenced 12 Islamist demonstrators to 17 years in jail for attacking the headquarters during another protest.

Universities have become a key battleground for students who oppose the military's overthrow of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in July.

More than 1,000 people have been killed and thousands arrested in a police crackdown on Morsi's Islamist supporters since his ouster.