During Monday’s session of former President Mubarak’s ongoing trial, Mohamed al-Gendy, one of former Cairo Security Director Ismail al-Shaer’s defense lawyers, suggested that third parties, including Israel, helped fuel the revolution, the state-owned Middle East News Agency (MENA) has reported.
"It’s unimaginable that those in the cage are murderers, and that the countries proven to have been funding organizations in Egypt did not participate in the events,” said Gendy. "It is unimaginable that Israel, which was spying on the mobile networks, had nothing to do with fueling the events."
Mubarak, former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly and six of Adly's assistants are charged with killing protesters during the 25 January revolution, while Mubarak, his sons Alaa and Gamal and businessman Hussein Salem are being tried on corruption charges. Adly was convicted of money laundering and fraud in May 2011.
Gendy criticized the prosecution for failing to provide a date and location for the purported meeting where Adly and his aides allegedly agreed to kill the protesters.
"The prosecution said there was a second meeting in which they agreed to kill the protestors and that it was attended by Ismail al-Shaer," Gendy said. "Did the interior minister single out the Cairo Security Director out of all the other governorates with this decision to kill the protestors?"
Gendy said prosecutors were pressured by the public during their investigations. Gendy also challenged witnesses' testimonies.
Gendy said that other witnesses should appear to testify before the court, including intelligence chief Mourad Mowafi, former National Security Authority chief Mostafa Abdel Moneim, former Presidential Guards commander Naguib Abdel Salam and military police chief Hamdy Badin.
Anis al-Menawy, another lawyer for Shaer, blamed infiltrators and thugs for the killings. State-run Al-Ahram newspaper said on its website that Menawy named Salafis as being among the killers of protesters.
Menawy said that the forces working under Shaer's command were tasked with apprehending rioters and wrongdoers. He accused prosecutors of failing to determine the kinds of weapons used in the crimes and the reasons for the deaths. The lawyer also said that police forces were not present on the ground at 5 pm on 28 January 2011, which was dubbed "Friday of Anger."
Defense lawyers contended that the directives Shaer gave to officers under his command was to avoid the use of live ammunition against protesters.
The Cairo Criminal Court, headed by Judge Ahmed Refaat, will continue hearing Shaer's defense on Tuesday.
