Associated Press
ISMAILIYA, Egypt: A group of 13 suspects tried for terror attacks that killed nearly 100 people in Sinai Peninsula resorts over the past two years were plotting to bomb a church and archaeological sites, an Egyptian security official told the court on Tuesday.
Police Capt. Nabil Mohammed said defendant Bassam Hammad Eid had confessed he was involved in the July 23 triple-bombing in the Sinai Peninsula resort of Sharm El-Sheikh that killed at least 63 people.
The suspect also admitted he had been sent to evaluate other possible targets including a church, regional police headquarters, bus stations and archaeological tourist attractions, the police officer said.
Eid denied the entire officer s account and said police broke into his house by night, beating his pregnant wife. They raided my house at two in the morning, beating my wife and mother, which led to my wife s abortion, Eid yelled.
Several defendants, some displaying bruises and wounds, said earlier this week that they were tortured into confession, and the judge has ordered them examined by a doctor.
Another police officer, Capt. Adham Mumtaz, said suspect Younis Alyan had acknowledged his involvement in the October 2004 bombing of the Taba Hilton and Ras Shitan resorts that killed 34 people, including 11 Israeli tourists.
The suspects defense attorney, Sayed Fathi, told The Associated Press that there was no evidence to back the accusation, and that the prosecution was advancing contradicting facts.
Each [prosecution] witness is giving his own story that is completely different from the other testimonies, said the lawyer.
A statement signed by a group calling itself Tawhid and Jihad (Unification and Holy War) claimed responsibility for the Sharm bombing, saying it acted on orders from Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. But it was one of several conflicting claims by different groups.
The trial at the state security court in Ismailiya, 120 km east of Cairo, was adjourned to June 10.
