Mubarak and Morsi face-to-face in court
Former Egyptian President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak
testified against former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi who is charged with
damaging and setting fire to prison buildings, murder and attempted murder, and
looting prison weapons depots while allowing prisoners from Hamas, Hezbollah,
and other criminals to escape.
Mubarak said that 800 people from different
nationalities stormed through the eastern border of Egypt during the January 25
revolution, through Gaza tunnels.
“They entered Egyptian land through Gaza and had
weapons… They headed toward the prisons to release prisoners belonging to
Hezbollah, Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood,” Mubarak said.
Mubarak added that they broke into the Wadi el-Natrun
prisons as it held prisoners belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.
He said that the perpetrators killed police officers
north of Sinai, adding that he has more information but would need permission
from the presidency to reveal more.
“The issue of Gaza tunnels is complex and we
destroyed many of them before the revolution… We were exposed to attacks from
Gaza while destroying the tunnels,” Mubarak said.
Mubarak was accompanied by his two sons, Gamal and
Alaa Mubarak.
Egyptians await an extraordinary moment on
Wednesday, when the two former Egyptian presidents appeared together before the
Criminal Court in Cairo in the case of storming prisons during Egypt’s January
25 revolution.
The former President Mubarak was due to testify
during the last hearing in early December but was absent as he refused to
fulfill the civilian request, because he still enjoys military status,
according to defense lawyer Farid al-Deeb.
The case brings together Mubarak and Morsi in one
hall, the first as witness and the second as defendant for the first time in
the history of Egypt.
Mubarak is closely associated to the case which
looks into the issue of the border intrusion.
The events led later to his toppling from power on
January 25, following the storming of prisons and police departments.
