• 02:37
  • Thursday ,30 January 2014
العربية

Egypt's Brotherhood leaders referred to criminal court for Giza murders

By-Ahram

Copts and Poliltical Islam

00:01

Thursday ,30 January 2014

Egypt's Brotherhood leaders referred to criminal court for Giza murders

Egypt's South Giza prosecution referred top Muslim Brotherhood members, including Supreme Guide Mohamed Badei and his deputy Khairat El-Shater, to a criminal court for murder charges on Wednesday.Egypt's South Giza prosecution referred top Muslim Brotherhood members, including Supreme Guide Mohamed Badei and his deputy Khairat El-Shater, to a criminal court for murder charges on Wednesday.

The two men are accused of involvement in the killing of 29 people in Giza in July.
 
The accused also include prominent Brotherhood figures such as Mohamed El-Beltagy, Essam El-Erian and Bassem Ouda as well as Brotherhood-aligned Islamist preacher Safwat Hegazi and Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya leader Assem Abdel Maged, who fled to Qatar.
 
The clashes erupted when supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi clashed with residents and police in Giza's Bein El-Sarayat neighborhood and Giza Square, both near a Brotherhood-led sit-in at Al-Nahda Square, which was dispersed weeks later by security forces. At least 32 people were killed and dozens injured in the dispersal.
 
The charges against the accused include supplying militants with weapons, vandalism, illegal arms possession and disrupting security. Most of the accused are already being tried in other cases on charges of inciting violence.
 
Morsi, also being tried for inciting violence, attended a court session a day earlier for a case related to his escape from prison during the 25 January revolution.
 
Morsi appeared agitated and questioned the head judge. He also hired prominent Islamist lawyer Selim El-Awwa as his defense, despite previous reports denying he would retain an attorney.