The Port Said Criminal Court resumed on Tuesday the trial of 73 suspects, including 9 police officials, for involvement in the violence that killed 74 football fans following a Premier League match in Port Said Stadium last February between Egypt's leading team, Ahly, and its host, Masry.
The court heard the defense lawyer for the second defendant, Mohamed Rashad Quota, a customs agent, who said the case had been fabricated by the media.
The lawyer said that Mohamed Khaled Namnam, the stadium officer who brought charges against his client, failed to provide any evidence, and claimed his investigations were worthless.
Additionally, Quota demanded the court charge Namnam with delinquency for his failure to search fans before they entered the grandstands and for not opening the stadium's rear gates during the stampede, which led to a greater number of deaths than would have otherwise been the case.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
