CAIRO: Egypt on Wednesday resumed the trial of 26 men accused of plotting terror attacks inside Egypt in coordination with Lebanon's Hezbollah. The case has caused much tension between Cairo and the Shiite Lebanese group, who has repeatedly denied any planning for attacks on Egyptian soil. Among the defendants are two Lebanese citizens, five Palestinians, a Sudanese and 18 Egyptians. They are charged with planning attacks against tourists and the Suez Canal, possessing explosives and giving intelligence to foreign organizations. Prosecutors have repeatedly said the group was led by Lebanon's Sami Shehab, known as Mohamed Youssef. They argue that Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah charged him with gathering intelligence and “logistical aid” inside Egypt for possible places to attack. The Hezbollah chief has vehemently denied that Shehab was plotting against Egypt. Originally, the trial was to begin back in August, but has been postponed twice as defense lawyers attempt to sift through the information handed to them. Emergency State Security Courts, under the controversial Emergency Laws, cannot be appealed and only a presidential pardon would release the men if convicted. In April, Egypt's public prosecution office said they had received information that the so-called Hezbollah cell had rented apartments overlooking the Suez Canal in order to “spy on traffic through the waterway.” Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has been drawn into the fray as well, being accused of having at least 5 members among those detained. In a statement, Mohamed Habib, the group’s Deputy, said the allegations are “baseless and unsupported by facts.†He argued that the Brotherhood has no connection with the Lebanese organization. Media reports have said differently, stating that at least five members of the banned Egyptian group are among those standing trial for planning to bomb tourist resorts along the Red Sea – places frequented by Israelis. They are also alleged to have coordinated attacks on the Suez Canal. But this has not stopped Prosecutor Abdel Maged Mahmoud from charging the men with “conspiracy to murder, spying for a foreign organization with the intent of conducting terrorist attacks and weapons possession.†Mahmoud’s office said in a statement that the men confessed to buying rifles, explosives and rocket propelled grenades and to storing bags and belts filled with powerful plastic explosives. “It is clearly visible that there are certain individuals trying to include the names of Muslim Brotherhood members in this case. The Muslim Brotherhood however, announced that it is very clear and understood that the Egyptian national security is a red line that cannot be bypassed,†Habib continued in his public statement. Abdel Moneim Abdel Maksoud, the Brotherhood’s top lawyer, who is currently following the trial, believes the charges are trumped up in order to brand the group a terrorist organization in order to continue the ongoing crackdown and arrest of its leaders and members. “The claims that the Brotherhood is involved in this kind of activity is absurd,†Maksoud began, “these continual arrests and crackdowns are aimed at the Brotherhood and are futile efforts to abort all the movement’s activities.†He said that the government is attempting to avoid dealing with the Islamic group on equal footing and “the regime will gain nothing except more damage to their already tarnished reputation.†Maksoud added that “that there is no definitive link between the five alleged Brotherhood members and the overall structure of the group. It is a kind of witch hunt.” The case hearkens back to the assassination attempt against late President Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1954, when a supposed Muslim Brotherhood member opened fire on the leader and wounding him before being pummeled to the ground and arrested. In that instance, the attempted attack on the Egyptian president was used as an excuse to crackdown on the popular Brotherhood and Nasser did so in full force. Hundreds of leaders were detained and imprisoned as a result. “The government thinks this is a way to silence and weaken the Brotherhood, but the Egyptians see through this and that is what matters. People here want justice, not false justice,†Maksoud added. Habib underscored in his statement that the accusations against the movement lacks credibility and “is intended to confuse and interfere in the Muslim Brotherhood’s internal affairs in a deliberate attempt to distort its image,†in agreement with Maksoud’s assertions. Habib also stressed “any Muslim in any country embracing the movement’s ideology and objectives act in accordance with the Constitution and law of his own country and we do not interfere in any way in their work.†For now, as the 26 men stand trial and accusations of Brotherhood involvement, all the Islamic opposition group can do is wait. Their claims of non-involvement can only go so far. Over 400 members of the group have been arrested in recent months, including popular leaders as the government continues its crackdown. BM
