CAIRO: Egyptian state television violated a court ban on broadcasting or publishing witness testimony pertaining to the trial of ousted President Hosni Mubarak today. A television report said former Interior Minister Mahmoud Wagdy testified that there were snipers on top of the Ministry of Interior during Egypt's January uprising that toppled Mubarak and his regime from power. While testifying during Mubarak's trial, Magdy said the snipers were positioned at the Ministry in case the protesters broke into the ministry, which could be a serious violation against national security. The significance of Wagdy's testimony was because he succeeded Habib al-Adly as interior minister on January 30 – in the midst of the uprising. Wagdy attempted to amend the performance of Egyptian security over the next six weeks, making him privy to many details of the January 28 or ‘Day of Rage' clashes. Wagdy said during his testimony that he always opposed al-Adly's way of dealing with the protesters and opposition, which was why he was excluded from the ministry. Wagdy criticized those who attacked police stations and security directorates, saying they were the ones who start the shooting. He added, "There are many ways to deal with the protesters, and they all ban using live ammuniton against them."
