The Port Said Criminal Court postponed to 25 October the trial session of 16 defendants in the ‘Al-Arab police station' case, due to the defendants' absence from the session on Tuesday. Previously, the court also sentenced 28 defendants to 10 years in prison, and acquitted 68 others. It also sentenced 18 Muslim Brotherhood leaders to death, including former supreme guide Mohamed Badie, former secretary-general of the Freedom and Justice Party Mohamed El-Beltagy, preacher Safwat Hegazy, and others. The case was referred to court by late prosecutor general Hisham Barakat, and the defendants were accused of breaking into the police station, attempting to murder police officers and steal their weapons, attempting to kill civilians, attacking public property, and incitement to threaten public order through a large public assembly. The case dates back to 16 November, 2013, as part of the post-Rabaa Al-Adaweya dispersal violence. Protests and mass demonstrations passed close to the Al-Arab police station, leading to clashes. The official narrative accuses protesters of storming the police station deliberately, while the Muslim Brotherhood say the soldiers and officers in the police station fired at the unarmed protesters, killing six and injuring tens of others. Al-Arab police station was previously stormed during the 25 January Revolution. Supporters of the Brotherhood have circulated videos of soldiers inside an Armed Personnel Carrier firing at protesters in front of the mentioned police station. Since the military-led ouster of Mohamed Morsi, a severe security crackdown was launched, targeting members of various Islamist movements. Protests have been faced with a heavy response from security forces, leaving hundreds killed, while parties and charity groups affiliated with Islamist entities were shut down. The Muslim Brotherhood was declared a terrorist organisation on 25 December 2013, although it was originally outlawed in September 2013. In addition, the assets of Brotherhood members and other prominent Islamists were frozen on the orders of Hisham Barakat. The procedure began in July 2013, immediately following Morsi's ouster.
