Flood-related news are pushed to the side today as President Hosni Mubarak dominates front pages, with state-run papers quoting him at length during a speech he gave yesterday in celebration of National Police Day. Such quotes took up the whole of Al-Akhbar and Al-Gomhuria’s front pages, virtually all citing the President’s warning against "anything that undermines national unity."
The President directly addressed Muslims and Copts alike, affirming that any “crimes or actions or behaviors of a sectarian dimension will face the force of the law, with swift justice and maximum penalties for the perpetrators.”
Al Ahram, which only dedicated the top of its front page to quote the President — but its third, fourth and fifth pages to the speech and history of Police Day – also featured headlines affirming that the correct execution of law in tackling the Nag Hammadi incident. The snippet quotes Ahmed Abul Gheit, vice president of the National Council for Human Rights.
Independent daily Al-Shorouk, continues its reporting on the peripherals of the shooting at Nag Hammadi, quoting an anonymous security source saying that prime suspect Hamam el-Kamouni worked as a personal security man for Anba Kirolos, the Bishop of Nag Hammadi. The source quotes Anba Kirolos as saying that he knows him well and that “the killer loves and respects me.” The news item further claims that el-Kamouni had cut off his working relation with the Bishop some time ago for unknown reasons.
Meanwhile, Al-Dustour reports on further studies by the Ministry of Finance that attempt to implement the long awaited real estate tax law, ordered by President Hosni Mubarak. The opposition paper also quotes sources confirming electricity-related loses reaching LE200 million from the floods that struck Sinai and Aswan.
