CAIRO: Egyptian prosecutors announced they are investigating Coptic Priest Flopetair Gameel, Priest Metias Nasr and activist Ramy Kamel on Thursday for their alleged involvement in the violence outside the State TV building last October 9 that killed 27 people and left hundreds injured. The three accused arrived early Thursday morning for a full day of investigation and interrogation that ended around 7 PM local time. The three arrived with a defense team to face the charges that included “inciting violence against the armed forces, inciting violence and death against solders in the armed forces, participating with others in stealing armored military vehicles, promoting and inciting chaos, carrying weapons, inciting breaking into a governmental building (Maspero) and destabilizing public order.” The defendants denied all charges, pleading innocent. They are not being held during the investigation process. The case was initially going to be tried by a military court, but responding to appeals it was transferred to a civil court. The defendants called for the surveillance tapes from the state TV building to be included in the investigation as it shows they are innocent of any wrongdoing, they argued. The defendants also called for the summoning of army general Hamdy Bedeen and accused him of having a hand in the events. The defendants also called for lifting their names off of the no travel list as they are cooperating in the investigations. On October 9 in the early evening a march of mostly Coptic Christians calling for rights arrived at the state TV building and soon after police and military forces guarding the building used violence against the protesters thinking they planned to break into the building, which looks like a fortress with meters of barb wire, cameras and guards. The armed forces opened fire and ran over protesters with armored vehicles in the bloody violence. The Copts were protesting the burning of Church a week earlier in Aswan and demanded the removal of the governor. The Maspero events left a scare in the national psyche as tens of residents responded to the military after it claimed it was under attack and created street clashes that left more dead and injured. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/d44GC Tags: Coptic Christian, featured, Maspero, October 9, SCAF Section: Egypt, Latest News, Religion
