The sons of deposed President Hosni Mubarak have not escaped from Tora prison in southern Cairo, as the state-run paper Al-Ahram had reported, Egypt's Interior Ministry said Sunday.
In a statement to the state-run news agency MENA, a security source said Gamal and Alaa Mubarak are still being detained in Tora prison.
Mubarak and his sons, as well as former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly and six of his top aides, stand trial before Cairo Criminal Court on several charges, including involvement in the killing of protesters during the 25 January uprising.
Egyptian and foreign media outlets have repeatedly reported the escape of Mubarak's sons, which the Interior Ministry always denies.
The latest rumor spread after a presidential plane took off from Cairo International Airport on Sunday as part of regular maintenance and testing.
State-owned Al-Ahram newspaper on Monday said the aircraft was conducting a flight with no passengers in order to ensure the safety of its navigation equipment.
The newspaper explained that airport staff became suspicious when the plane began to move and finally took off from the airport’s runway.
Al-Ahram quoted airport sources as saying, “The plane is owned by the presidential institution and not by the former president.”
The source went on to say the aircraft is of the A340 family and that regular maintenance has been conducted on it since Mubarak's ouster.
The source added that the flight lasted half an hour, during which the crew ensured the safety of its equipment, then it was towed to a secure site in the airport after landing.
Al-Ahram reported that the last time the aircraft was used was a few weeks prior to the beginning of the revolution in January, when Mubarak traveled between Cairo and Sharm el-Sheikh.
