Implicating General Naguib
In the course of their trial, Ikhwan leaders had implicated the President of the Republic, General Mohamed Naguib, in the plot to assassinate Prime Minister Gamal Abdul Nasser. It is, however, doubtful that the General, who had earlier been 'kicked up' by Gamal Abdul Nasser to act as President of the Republic, a mere figurehead without any powers, had anything to do with attempt on his comrade's life, in spite of his known sympathy with the Ikhwan.
But the implication had provided Nasser with the pretext he badly needed to remove General Naguib. He placed him under house arrest, ripping him from the Presidency and suppressing the Ikhwan at a single stroke.The Egyptian Gazette of November 15, 1954 appeared with the following banner headline (the biggest I have ever seen in The Egyptian Gazette):Naguib is relieved of all his dutiesPost of Republic President to remain vacant, RCC decidesThe report said:“General Mohamed Naguib has been relieved of all duties entrusted to him by the Revolution, and the post of President of the Republic will remain vacant. This is by virtue of two decisions taken by the Revolution Command Council during its meeting yesterday at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Gamal Abdul Nasser.“The two decisions were communicated to General Naguib at the Presidential Palace by General Abdul Hakim Amer, Minister of War, and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and Wing-Commander Hassan Ibrahim, Minister for Republican Palace Affairs.“Wing Commander Hassan Ibrahim accompanied General Naguib in his car on the latter's leaving the Presidency for the last time”.The report went on to say:“The Cabinet held an extra-ordinary meeting under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Abdul Nasser. The meeting lasted for half an hour after which Major Salah Salem, Minister of National Guidance and Minister of State for Sudan Affairs, said that the Council of Ministers has been informed of the decisions of the Revolution Command Council.“It was learned last night that General Naguib and his family now live at el-Marg Palace (a grand villa in an eastern Cairo suburb that once belonged to the wife of former Prime Minister Nahas Pasha and was confiscated together with other assets).“Dr. Mahmoud Fawzy, the Foreign Minister, left the Council of Ministers for his office to take the necessary measures to communicate the decisions to foreign embassies and legations in Cairo and to Egypt's diplomatic missions abroad”.sami
