WHEN the entire nation is busy, debating the possible consequences of the so-called June 30 uprising to end the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) rule and hold early presidential elections, a significant case is being heard by Ismailia Misdemeanour Court. This could eventually end in unseating President Mohamed Morsi and even end the political presence of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. The case is related to the mass breakout of the prisoners of Wadi el-Natrun Prison, as well as at many other prisons during the early days of January 25 Revolution. As all Egyptians know, President Mohamed Morsi, together with tens of others of the MB leadership were among the prisoners of Wadi el-Natrun and some members of Hizbollah and Hamas, who had been charged with earlier terrorist crimes in Egypt and jailed during Mubarak's rule. The court that sought the testimony of former senior officials as well as police officers serving in these prisons received certain evidence about the fleeing of the prisoners. Their escape was not an unplanned operation, which was carried out by some relatives of the jailed persons or angry police officers following the bloody Friday of January 28, 2011. Instead, all eye witness accounts and information given by the then head of the intelligence prove that it was an organised, planned operation effected by well trained elements equipped with tens of 4 x 4 vehicles as well as advanced weapons of a kind not available in Egypt. Member of the security agency even spoke about the infiltration of some elements of Hamas as well as Hizbollah to Egypt via tunnels with Gaza into Sinai a day before the events. Eyewitnesses stated that these elements attacked security points in Rafah and Sheikh Zowayed in Sinai border towns, paving the way for their movement across Sinai into Cairo and other governorates. Their intention was to free those prisoners along with some other thousands of criminals in such a way as to heighten the state of insecurity in which the country continues to live until today. President Mohamed Morsi had admitted being one of those prisoners of Wadi el-Natrun and he even had a recorded interview with Aljazeera satellite channel the following day. However, he managed to run for the presidential elections, the reason being that he had not been accused of any crime. Rather he was seen as one of those that suffered injustice and illegal detention by the former authorities and accidentally freed during the chaos prevailing in the country on the withdrawal of the police from the street on January 28. Nevertheless, if the case is not the accidental escape of prisoners as a result of chaos but was a plan by some foreign elements to breach national sovereignty in co-operation with the MB leadership, it would turn into a crime of collaboration with some foreign parties against state security. Like a snowball, the instance of Wadi el-Natrun is growing day after day from a mere misdemeanour into a criminal case, touching on the names of some noted MB members. At the beginning, the prosecution showed no co-operation at all with the court when senior Judge Khaled el-Mahgoub requested the testimony of police officers and officials at Wadi el-Natrun prison who were serving there during the days of the Revolution. Herein, the judge warned the prosecution and used his right to send the notification himself to the requested persons, most of whom responded and presented their testimony to the court. Actually, many other officials, including the former minister of the interior and officers of the dissolved state security agency, willingly offered their testimony to the court to prove that breaking into the prisons was a planned operation by some external powers in co-operation with the Muslim Brotherhood. Accordingly, one should wonder about the legal position of President Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party if this case ends in ensuring the crime of the MB's co-operation with some foreign elements to breach the country's sovereignty. They illegally crossed borders to carry out such operation of breaking into prisons to free thousands of prisoners, so threatening the security of Egyptian society. Should this not be seen as high treason and a crime that could end the MB rule? Even if there is no clear law incriminating such an act to the level of ending the rule of Morsi, results of this case would surely add a new strong reason for the millions of Egyptians who signed the Tamarad (Rebel!) campaign. They are going onto the streets on June 30 seeking early presidential elections to end the authoritarian rule of the Muslim Brotherhood and amend the drive of their revolution.
