A prosecution witness appearing at the trial of 25 suspects accused of assaulting protesters in Tarir Square on 2 and 3 February testified on Tuesday that the suspects had incited the assault, later dubbed the "Battle of the Camel."
Islamic preacher Safwat Hegazy said in his testimony that he and other anti-regime protesters had caught some thugs involved in the fighting who admitted that disbanded National Democratic Party figures had paid them to take part in the attacks.
According to the privately-owned daily Shorouk newspaper, Hegazy added that some thugs confessed to receiving money from the office of the former People’s Assembly Speaker Fathi Sorour in return for removing protesters from Tahrir Square.
“Some of them also confessed that businessman Mohamed abu el-Enein, a former NDP figure, incited the attacks,” he added.
During the court session, Hegazy responded to questions from Judge Hassan Abdallah, a defense lawyer, and former PM Mortada Mansour, who is one of the suspects in the case.
The court banned on Sunday live broadcasting of the trials.
