A court hearing in Ismailia on the Wadi El Natrun case took a violent turn Saturday when clashes broke out after the hearing.
Eyewitness and one of the alleged victims, Mona El-Sayed Ahmed, claimed that “thugs” with weapons, sticks, electroshock weapons and chains “insulted the women and insulted police. Then they issued ‘we will slaughter you’ threats at every one of us,” she claimed.
She said that no one was spared from being attacked with the electroshock weapon and that several security personnel were taken to a hospital as a result of the attack.
State-run Ahram reported that security officers were injured after they intervened to try and end the fighting.
Ismailia-based human rights lawyer Ahmed Ibrahim, who attended the court hearing, said the clashes started when members of the Muslim Brotherhood who had chains and electroshock weapons attacked activists, policemen and court security.
Aly Abdellah, spokesperson for the Freedom and Justice Party in Ismailia, denied responsibility, saying, “let them bring us pictures of Muslim Brotherhood members holding chains and electroshock weapons. These are lies.”
He claimed that there were about 20 members of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) and “100 thugs” with weapons who verbally harassed the FJP members, who did not respond. “They did not want trouble,” he said.
He said the 20 FJP members were attacked while leaving the vicinity of the court, and have bruises and cuts all over their bodies. “The others are only claiming that they were injured,” he added.
The Wadi El Natrun case dates back to 2011 when several Muslim Brotherhood leaders escaped from Wadi El Natrun prison.
Presiding judge Khaled Mahgoub decided at the end of the session that the ruling would be issued on Sunday.
Ibrahim said the prosecution’s pleading on Saturday was “historical”, adding the 27-page pleading included information that proves Muslim Brotherhood involvement in the prison break.
Last week’s court hearing witnessed similar violence between the Muslim Brotherhood and Al-Dostour Party.
