Taha Malkan, the official responsible for the lights in Port Said Stadium, said on Tuesday that a brigadier general from the Central Security Forces ordered him to turn off the lights when the violence broke out in the stadium, killing at least 71 people.
Malkan was testifying before the public prosecution investigating the incident, which took place following a football match between the Ahly and the Masry teams on 1 February.
Judicial sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm that prosecutors on Tuesday also took the testimonies of six of the victims' families, who accused the governor of Port Said and the security director of using thugs to attack the spectators, and continued the investigation with more officials.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that some businessmen with strong ties to the former Mubarak regime paid people to storm the pitch following the match and use melee weapons against Ahly fans.
Last month, judicial sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the attorney general would soon announce the results of an investigation into Port Said violence.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the sources said the attorney general is referring more than 50 suspects to a criminal court, including three Port Said security officials, who are charged with negligence that caused the deaths and the injury of more than 200 people.
Translated for Al-Masry Al-Youm
