Court adjourns Badie, Beltagy's guidance bureau retrial to Feb. 19

CAIRO - 8 February 2018: The Cairo Criminal Court postponed Thursday the retrial of Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Mohammed Badie and Mohamed el-Beltagy, alongside 11 others to February 19 to hear the testimony of former Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim, in the case publically known as the 'events of guidance bureau.'

Badie, Chairman of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) Saad el-Katatni, Badie’s deputies Khairat al-Shater and Rashad Bayoumi, MB Mohamed el-Beltagy, the late Mohammed Mahdi Akef, the former Minister of Youth Osama Yassin, and other members of the organization of the Muslim Brotherhood are involved in the case.

On June 30, 2013, clashes erupted between pro-Muslim Brotherhood affiliates and protesters calling for the ouster of former MB President Mohammed Morsi in front of the MB guidance office in the Mokattam region. Prosecution accused Badie and other MB leaders of inciting violence against the peaceful protesters.

The convicts were also accused of providing unidentified assailants with weapons, ammunition and explosives to fire from their bureau at the protesters in front of the MB guide bureau, which led to the death of several citizens, according to prosecutions' investigations.

The Cairo Criminal Court previously sentenced Badie, al-Shater, el-Beltagy, Akef, el-Katatni to life in prison and sentenced other defendants to death in the case, which was overturned after the appeal of the convicts.

MB leading figures Essam el-Erian, Mohamed el-Beltagy, Safwat Hegazy, and others are accused of inciting violence, terrorism and murder, forming a gang to attack citizens and supplying it with arms and funds.