The Supreme State Security Criminal Court adjourned Sunday the trial of 26 suspects in the Nasr City terrorist cell case to June 4 to continue hearing the defense team.
The 26 defendants are accused of planning terrorist attacks against state institutions, establishing and managing a terrorist group, attempting to prevent state institutions from exercising their work, and harming national unity and social peace.
The defense of the defendant Nabil el-Shahat presented nine legal reasons for the defendant’s innocence during his defenses before the court held at the Police Academy.
During Sunday’s hearing, the lawyer demanded his client’s innocence in the case according to a number of legal reasons: the invalidity of the investigations conducted by the public prosecution, the absence of the charge of joining an illegal group, the denial of the charges of the defendants being extremists for the fact that they adopted legitimate Islamic thoughts, the absence of criminal intent for the absence of willingness, the absence of relation between the defendant and the exhibitions, the lack of responsibility of the accused for their bosses’ actions since they were working under the defendant Karim Badiwi, the presence of deficiencies in the public prosecution’s procedures, the absence of crime of resisting authorities, and the invalidity of the investigations for lack of seriousness.
Additionally, the defense of the 14th defendant Mohamed Musslem el-Maadawy demanded his client be acquitted due to the invalidity of detention and search procedures and the absence of criminal evidences.
The trial includes 18 suspects held in prison on remand and another eight suspects who are fugitives being tried in absentia. Security forces began investigating alleged members of the cell in October 2012, which resulted in the killing of one suspect.
