Egypt Jails Men for Dog's Brutal Killing Aired on Internet

An Egyptian court jailed four men Wednesday over the brutal street killing of a dog, which was filmed and sparked outrage when the video went viral on the Internet.

The verdict and three-year sentence come as a rare victory for animal rights campaigners, who say authorities often ignore such abuses.

Police said the three men had brawled with the owner of the dog, which bit one of them during the fight, and later demanded that he hand over the animal.

In the video aired last month, the dog, named Max, is chained to a street lamp at night. He is repeatedly stabbed and hacked with knives, as he yelps in pain and barks, and as bystanders fail to intervene.

In the end, one man strikes the animal with a metal bar and kills it.

The three men were arrested and tried, along with the dog's owner in absentia. They were found guilty of several charges, including "torturing a domestic animal to death, and thuggery".

Before their arrest, one suspect told a newspaper the dog had bitten him "in a sensitive part" days before his wedding and that he wanted revenge.

Max's owner, identified as Mohammed Sayed, told a news website he had to watch his dog die and could not intervene.

He later posted a video on Facebook showing him playing with the dog.

"I'm sorry Max; I had no choice," he wrote.