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| Africa North |
| Egypt sets free two Sadat murder convicts: report |
| 2011-03-12 |
| [Al Arabiya] Egypt's new military rulers have ordered the release of two Islamist prisoners jugged over the 1981 liquidation of president Anwar Sadat, state television reported. ... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe? on Friday. Cousins Tareq and Abbud al-Zomor, members of Egypt's Islamist Jihad, were convicted for their involvement in Sadat's murder but were never discharged from jail after their sentences expired. Abbud, at the time a senior military intelligence officer, was due to be released in 2006 but was kept in prison, while Tareq was first ordered released in 2003 but was also kept behind bars. Former interior minister Habib al-Adly had used discretionary powers granted by the emergency law to overrule several judicial release orders. The two were among 69 political prisoners freed on the orders of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which took power in Egypt after veteran president Hosni Mubarak was forced to step down by a popular uprising. The military rulers said those released would be subject to surveillance for five years. Sadat was rubbed out by Islamist Death Eaters at a military parade in Cairo on Oct. 6, 1981, three years after he signed the 1978 Camp David Accords that led to a 1979 peace treaty with Israel, the first by an Arab country. Abbud is one of the members of the group who carried out the attack, while Tareq was said to be involved in the planning. The main convict in the case, Khaled al-Islamboulli, was executed in 1982. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #3 One interesting thing the Libyan rebels have done is release all the Islamist prisoners. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2011-03-12 09:25 |
| #2 No comment. This release will pale in comparison to the great |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2011-03-12 08:54 |
| #1 If this is true (note the if) then I think that this is a good indication of the direction that Egypt will be taking. Hope Israel is buckling up that chinstrap. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2011-03-12 08:43 |