Retrial against Muslim Brotherhood leader Mahmoud Ezzat in case of ‘Guidance Bureau Events’ postponed to January 4

CAIRO – 10 December 2020: An Egyptian military court postponed the retrial of the acting leader of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood Mahmoud Ezzat for the charges of case publically known as the “Guidance Bureau Events” to January 4, 2012.

 

Ezzat was sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia in 2015 for the charges of inciting violence that led to clashes took place outside the Muslim Brotherhood’s headquarters in Mokkatam district in Cairo. 

 

Also, on November 1, 2020, a Cairo Court of Appeal has set December 19, 2020, for the first retrial against Ezzat for the charges of spying for Hamas. Ezzat, along with Muslim Brotherhood leader Khairat Al-Shater and 13 others, was sentenced to death on July 16, 2015, for charges of spying for Hamas.

 

On August 28, 2020, the 76-year-old defendant was arrested by the Egyptian forces after he was hiding inside an apartment in the Fifth District in Cairo despite the rumors that claimed he was outside Egypt, according to a statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Interior.

 

The police confiscated a laptop and a number of mobile phones that have coded applications to enable him to communicate with the MB members, besides a number of documents talking about sabotaging plans against the country, the statement said.

 

The terrorist leader was responsible for establishing the armed wing of the terrorist Brotherhood and was also the supervisor of sabotage operations committed by the organization members after the June 30, 2013 revolution, the statement said.

 

He has been accused of assassinating former Attorney-General Hisham Barakat, and injuring 9 other civilians in the same incident in 2015. He was also accused of killing Brigadier General Wael Tahoun outside his house in Ain Shams district in 2015, killing Major General Adel Rajai outside his home in Obour City, 2016. Ezzat was accused of attempting to assassinate former Assistant Attorney General Judge Zakaria Abdel Aziz. in 2016, according to the statement.

 

The detained terrorist also faces charges of involvement in a car bombing accident outside the Oncology Institute in August 2019, which claimed the lives of 20 civilians and injured 47 others, the statement continued.

 

Ezzat was charged with cyberwar that was launched by the group members on social media platforms in order to create chaos in society. He was also charged with financing the group members to carry out terrorist attacks.

 

The Ministry of Interior listed the verdicts that had been issued in absentia against Ezzat. He received two verdicts of death in the cases of spying for Hamas and Wadi al-Natroun Prison Break. He also got two sentences of life imprisonment (50 years in imprisonment in total) for charges of inciting violence and killing in trails dubbed in the media as “the incidents of the guidance office” and “Minya violent incidents.”

 

The Second Department of Terrorism, headed by Counselor Moataz Khafaji, decided to postpone the retrial of the trial of the terrorist Mahmoud Ezzat, Acting Guide of the Brotherhood, on the death sentence issued against him in absentia with the events of the Guidance Office, for the January 4 session to hear witnesses and a lawyer was appointed to plead with the accused, and the defendant’s defense was not present.

 

The session will be held with memberships of Advisors Sameh Soliman and Muhammad Ammar, and the secretariats of Sayed Hajjaj and Muhammad Al-Saeed.