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Egyptian military court convicts 51 in militants trial
Haekstep, Egypt, Sept 09: A military court found 51 men guilty and punished them with sentences ranging from two to 15 years in one of Egypt`s biggest Islamic militancy cases in years.
Haekstep, Egypt, Sept 09: A military court found 51 men guilty and punished them with sentences ranging from two to 15 years in one of Egypt's biggest Islamic militancy cases in
years.
In all, 94 men had been charged in the case. The main defendants were charged with founding an illegal group that
planned to assassinate President Hosni Mubarak and other
public figures and to attack government institutions.
Others were accused of belonging to the group, possessing explosives and ammunition, raising funds without authorization for Muslim rebels in Chechnya and Hamas militants in the Palestinian territories and receiving overseas military training without government authorization.
Prosecutors dubbed the group Al-Wa'ad - or "the promise" - and said that it was a new militant organization. Defense lawyers had said that their clients were first accused of the illegal fund-raising for Muslim fighters and that the more serious charges were added only after the Sept. 11 attacks in Washington and New York. The defendants had said that they did not even belong to a group. The accused had, however, acknowledged taking part in several acts the government considered suspicious.
When the trial began, seven defendants were being tried in absentia. However, in June, Egyptian-Canadian abdel rahma Fakhri Abou el-Ila, 22, who had been charged in absentia, appeared before the military court for the first time after being extradited by Azerbaijan. His return led to new hearings in a trial that had been nearing its end. El-Ila was convicted and sentenced to three years.
Bureau Report
Others were accused of belonging to the group, possessing explosives and ammunition, raising funds without authorization for Muslim rebels in Chechnya and Hamas militants in the Palestinian territories and receiving overseas military training without government authorization.
Prosecutors dubbed the group Al-Wa'ad - or "the promise" - and said that it was a new militant organization. Defense lawyers had said that their clients were first accused of the illegal fund-raising for Muslim fighters and that the more serious charges were added only after the Sept. 11 attacks in Washington and New York. The defendants had said that they did not even belong to a group. The accused had, however, acknowledged taking part in several acts the government considered suspicious.
When the trial began, seven defendants were being tried in absentia. However, in June, Egyptian-Canadian abdel rahma Fakhri Abou el-Ila, 22, who had been charged in absentia, appeared before the military court for the first time after being extradited by Azerbaijan. His return led to new hearings in a trial that had been nearing its end. El-Ila was convicted and sentenced to three years.
Bureau Report