CAIRO: Two members of former president Hosni Mubarak's National Democratic Party were arrested on Saturday in connection with the violent battle which took place between thugs and demonstrators in Cairo's Tahrir Square on February 2. The two men, Abdel Nasser el-Gabry and Youssef Khattab, both parliamentarians for al-Haram Constituency in Giza, were arrested on charges of inciting violence against protesters and hiring thugs to attack demonstrators on what has become known as “The Battle of the Camels” or “Bloody Wednesday.” A fact-finding committee formed to investigate the violent attacks against demonstrators during Egypt's 18-day uprising found that el-Gabry hired thugs with camels from Nazlet el-Seman area and asked them to forcibly end the sit-in which had occupied Tahrir Square since demonstrations began on January 25. Tens died and hundreds were injured when the “thugs” charged Tahrir Square around 2pm on Wednesday, February 2. They rode horses and camels and wielded machetes and other weapons. They were supported by hundreds throwing stones at anti-government demonstrators from nearby rooftops. The battle became one of the most important turning points in the uprising and consequently in Egyptian history. The night before, President Hosni Mubarak had declared his willingness to step down following September's Presidential elections, and many Egyptians were ready to accept that the ‘Father of the Nation' would remain in power until that day. But unleashing a crowd of thugs on peaceful demonstrators reinforced the demands of demonstrators, and once more unified them in their demand for Mubarak's immediate resignation and that of his government. The arrests came a day after four key members of the Ministry of Interior were arrested in connection with the shooting and killing of protesters during the revolution. The four were all assistant ministers to former Minister of Interior Habib al-Adly: Ismaeal al-Shaer, Cairo's former chief of security; Adli Fayed, former head of Public Security; Ahmed Ramzy, former head of security forces; and Hassan Abdel Rahman, former chif of State Security Investigation. Al-Adly is currently on trial for his role in sanctioning the use of excessive force against protesters in Cairo, Suez, and Alexandria in January and February. In related news, Mohammed ElBaradei, former head of the U.N's International Atomic Energy Agency and now a prominent opposition figure in Egypt, wrote on Twitter that “Suspicions are mounting and the revolution is in grave danger without the immediate arrest of the leaders of the gang.” ElBaradei announced on Saturday that he will run for president in Egypt's upcoming elections. **Additional reporting by Mohamed Abdel Salem BM
