Defense witnesses have claimed that a policeman was not involved in the assaults on peaceful protesters in Tahrir Square on 2 February 2011 during the uprising that forced former President Hosni Mubarak to step down.
The case, which involves 24 defendants, including former officials in Mubarak's government and the previously-ruling National Democratic Party, has been known in the media as "The Battle of the Camel," as the attack was led by thugs on camel and horseback. The incident left nearly 14 dead and hundreds injured.
Witnesses agreed that Lieutenant Colonel Hossam Eddin Mostafa from Nahda Police Station was not present in Tahrir Square during the attack, and each said they met him at different times on that day.
The state-run newspaper Akhbar Al-Youm said Mostafa is facing charges of involvement in the assault on protesters.
Farid Abdel Hai, one of the witnesses, said he works next to Mostafa's house and visited him after learning that he had been injured recently. "That day, we watched the camels and horses attack on TV together," Abdel Hai said.
Mohamed Mosleh, another witness, said he had been Mostafa's neighbor for 15 years, and added that he saw Mostafa on that day in the afternoon. Mosleh said Mostafa had not left home for 15 days at the time due to his injury.
Hisham Shahin, another witness, said he had been working for 27 years as a crime editor in the state-run Al-Gomhurriya newspaper, and therefore knows many police officers. He said that on 2 February, he called Zeitoun Police Station's chief to inquire about Mostafa, and was told that the latter had been injured while on a mission in Nasr City.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
