Transfer order


We, Al-Asmar Nazir Mosaad ,General Attorney


Oof the East Tanta koleyya1 Prosecution Office


After reviewing the papers and investigations they detail


Accuse:


  1. Ahmed Abdel Raouf Hassanein Mahmoud, 40, unemployed (detained)

  2. Fawzeyya Hafez El-Shenawy, 58, driver (released)

  3. Ashraf Shabaan Daoud Shabaan, 39, trader (detained)

  4. Mohamed Galal Ismail Khater, 19, labourer (detained)

  5. Mohamed Ezzat Youssef El-Zeiny, --, --, (fugitive)

  6. Tareq Mohamed Abdel Hafeez El-Sawy, 22, tailor (detained)

  7. Moustafa El-Sayyed Mohamed El-Gamal, 33, ironmonger (released)

  8. Osama Abdel Fattah Hammad El-Batal, --, --, (released)

  9. Hamada Ibrahim Tawfeq El-Bassiouni, 27, diploma in commerce (detained)

  10. Mohamed Hasan El-Zogby Atteya, 34, driver (released)

  11. Ali Ali Amin Abo Omar, 38, unemployed (detained)

  12. Moqbal Abdel Moneim Ahmed Abo Rahhal, 43, painter (detained)

  13. Ahmed El-Sayyed Mohamed Ali El-Dahhan, 24, driver (detained)

  14. Ahmed Kamel Ahmed Mohamed Ismail, 27, furniture maker (detained)

  15. Ahmed Abdel Moneim Mohamed Dessouqy, 39, shop owner (detained)

  16. Ahmed Mosaad Mohamed Ragheb, 21, ironmonger (released)

  17. Mansour Mohamed Mansour Abdallah, 42, barber (detained)

  18. Mohamed Abdel Meguid El-Maqsoud Moussa, 36, driver (released)

  19. Mahmoud Mohamed Mohamed Ibrahim, 19, student (released)

  20. Mahmoud Shawqy Abo El-Azam, --, -- (fugitive)

  21. Karim Ahmed El-Said Ahmed El-Refai, 19, decorator (detained)

  22. Wael Abdel Qader El-Beltagy, --, -- (fugitive)

  23. Mosaad El-Sayyed Ibrahim El-Sharnouby, --, -- (fugitive)

  24. Ahmed Samir Ahmed Abdel Moazz, 22, spinner (released)

  25. Rafat Mohamed Mohamed El-Bawab, 47, plumber (released)

  26. Essam Mohamed Ibrahim El-Saqra, 28, embroiderer (detained)

  27. El-Khateeb Abdallah Zaky El-Naqeeb, 28, trader (detained)

  28. Abdel Moaty Fathy Mohamed Ali, 22, labourer (detained)

  29. Ibrahim El-Metwaly Ahmed Sallam, 23, labourer (released)

  30. Ibrahim Mohamed Youssef Abdel Meguid, 23, bus conductor (released)

  31. Farahaat Sabry Mohamed Abdallah, 39, painter (released)

  32. Osama Eid Mohamed Abdel Galeel, 30, labourer (detained)

  33. Baher Said Hamed El-Damiaty, 27, shop assistant (released)

  34. Rady Mohamed Hassan El-Zaghl, 33, labourer (released)

  35. Abdel Aziz Fathy Abo Salem, 30, unemployed (released)

  36. Ramy Maysara Abdel Wahab Salem, 29, driver (released)

  37. El-Said Kamel Mohamed Harheera, 28, labourer (released)

  38. Ahmed Mohamed Farhana, 22, barber (released)

  39. Bassam Adel Abdel Hay Saada, 21, driver (released)

  40. Ibrahim Ibrahim Abdel Hamid Ammara, 20, labourer (released)

  41. Basem Mohamed El-Azab Mohamed, 27, electrician (released)

  42. Mahmoud Abo Bakr Ahmed El-Shennawy, 22, carpenter (detained)

  43. Ashraf Mohamed Eissa Salem, 42, ironmonger (detained)

  44. Mohamed Shayboub Mohamed Sayyed Ahmed, 29, fruit seller (detained)

  45. Helmy Mohamed Helmy El-Saadawy, 24, furniture maker (detained)

  46. Ibrahim Samy Hassan Mohamed Badr, 21, donkey cart driver (detained)

  47. Tareq Farouq El-Sayyed El-Guindy, 33, bus conductor (detained)

  48. Hamada Zaky Hamadto Zaky Hegazy, 28, bus conductor (detained)

  49. Mohamed Rezq El-Bayyoumy Rezq, 27, ironmonger (detained)


That on 6th and 7th April 2008, in the 1st and 2nd Districts of Mahalla, Gharbeyya governorateGovernorate


  1. Defendants numbers 1 – 41


Took part, with other unknown people, in a riotous assembly composed of more than five persons of a nature to endanger the general peace. The aim of the riotous assembly was to commit theft and ransacking using force and violence. When arrested some of them were carrying firearms and others were carrying instruments of a nature to cause death if used as weapons. Defendants numbers 1 – 10 planned this riotous assembly, and the following crimes were committed with the intention of carrying out the intended and deliberate aim of this riotous assembly:


  1. Deliberate destruction of buildings and public property (the Taha Hussein and Abdel Hay Khalil Schools, the El-Shoun post office, the El-Alw traffic and emergency response post, the El-Shouon Square Services Office). The operations of these public offices were hindered as a result, and people’s lives and wellbeing endangered. LE 9,526,504.50 (nine million, five hundred and twenty six thousand, five hundred and four pounds, and fifty piastres) worth of damage were caused in the manner established in the investigations…

  2. Deliberate starting of fires in the Taha Hussein and Abdel Hay Khalil Schools and the El-Alw traffic and emergency response post. They threw burning bottles [Molotov cocktails] and as a result fire spread the contents of these buildings and burnt them in the manner established in the investigations…

  3. Endangering and delaying of land transport vehicles. They set fire to rubber tyres and placed them in the middle of the road and on the railway tracks. Train driver Ahmed Hussein Ismail Gamal Eddin received the injuries described in the medical report attached to the papers as a result of this and had to receive 20 days of medical treatment. This occurred in the manner established in the investigations…

  4. Deliberate damage of the property of telephone networks (Menatel, El-Nil and El-Masreyya Lel Ittisalaat telephone booths2) built using public funds and described and valued in the reports. As a result of this calls [from these booths] were cut off in the manner established in the investigations…

  5. Acting as a gang, they damaged and ransacked the contents of the Abdel Hay Khalil, Taha Hussein and Omar Za’faan Schools, El-Alw emergency response post, telephone boxes owned by the Menatel, El-Nil and El-Masreyya Lel Ittisalaat companies, the El-Alw Emergency response and traffic post,3 Hawaneet Silver for Shoes shops4, Awlaad Raslaan, Naseer Zaqzooq, the El-Shafei Pharmacy, a shop owned by Fatma Ibrahim Khareesa, Nosf El-Donya, the Ahmed Mohamed Photography Studio, Hassan Abdel Moneim’s Wedding Dress Rental shop, Mohamed Mahmoud Salah’s Wedding Gown Rental shop, Yosry El-Gazar’s confectionary shop, Fina Copy Centre and Atef Ilyas’ jewellery shop. This was carried out using force in the manner established in the investigations…


  1. They deliberately damaged:


    1. Private equipment, tools and handicrafts, some lampposts and the footbridge intended for the benefit of the public in the streets and public squares of El-Mahalla El-Kobra. This resulted in LE 60,857,25 (sixty thousand, eight hundred and fifty-seven and twenty-five piastres) worth of damage in the manner established in the investigations…

    2. Fifty cars owned by the police, the governorate and the emergency services. This resulted in LE 287,530 (two hundred thousand, five hundred and thirty) worth of damage in the manner established in the investigations…

    3. Twenty cars and twelve buses owned by the Mahalla El-Kobra local transport authority. This caused LE 14,670 (fourteen thousand, six hundred and seventy) worth of damage in the manner established in the investigations…

    4. Shop fronts of the El-Watany Development Bank, Alexandria Bank, the 23 July branch of the Egypt Bank, and the Mahalla branch of the Cairo Bank, the Egypt for Islamic Transactions Bank and two ATMs owned by two other banks. This resulted in 209538,28 (two hundred and nine thousand, five hundred and thirty eight hundred pounds and 28 piastres) worth of damage in the manner established in the investigations…

    5. Eight trains and the Mahalla El-Kobra electricity box. They threw stones at them leading to the damages described in the railway engineer’s report. 56,540,40.08 (fifty six thousand, five hundred and forty pounds and 20 piastres) worth of damage in the manner established in the investigations…

    6. A private car owned by Rehab Mahmoud El Gazar (registration: 74994 Malaky El-Gharbeyya) and two cars owned by Ghaaz Misr Company (registration: 23342 naql El-Gharbeyya and 24168 naql El-Gharbeyya). This resulted in material damage to the vehicles’ owners of over fifty pounds in the manner established in the investigations.


As a result of the crimes described above the provision of public services was delayed and people’s lives and wellbeing endangered in the manner established in the investigations.


  1. They assaulted the policemen named in the investigations and resisted them using force and violence during the policemen’s carrying out of their duties, namely the preservation of order and security. They fired gunshots at them and pelted them with stones and lit bottles [Molotov cocktails]. This resulted in their receiving the injuries described in the medical reports attached which required no more than twenty days of medical treatment except for the first [policeman] who required more than twenty days, in the manner established in the investigations…

  2. They stole a walkie-talkie in the possession of officer Mohamed Ahmed Qa’ood. Some of them were carrying weapons at the time. This took place in one of the streets in Mahalla El-Kobra in the manner established in the investigations…

  3. Illegal possession of [incomprehensible word] firearms (four locally-made bullet cartridges) in the manner established in the investigations…

  4. Illegal possession of ammunition used in the weapons described in the previous charge in the manner established in the investigations…

  5. Possession of tools used to assault people (stones, bottles and sticks) in the manner established in the investigations…

  6. They threw stones at trains and railway property (the Mahalla electricity box) and endangered the passage of trains by putting burning tyres on the tracks in the manner established in the investigations…


  1. Defendants 42 – 49


Took part, with the other defendants described above and other unknown individuals, in the riotous assembly described in the first charge. They were ordered to disperse by the police and refused to submit to them. They did not obey their orders in order to carry out the following crimes…


Defendant 42


Stole the weapon in the possession of Sergeant Ahmed Mohamed Abdel Wahed. He joined other unknown individuals who gathered around him [Abdel Wahed] and physically assaulted him, enabling them in this way to force him to give in and they appropriated the weapon previously mentioned as well as ammunition without a licence5. This occurred in one of Mahalla El-Kobra’s streets in the manner established in the investigations…


Defendants 43 – 49


Joined with defendants 1 – 41 in ransacking6 the Abdel Hay Khalil and Taha Hussein Schools and telephone boxes owned by the Menatel, El-Nil and El-Masreyya Lel Ittisalaat companies as well as advertisements and propaganda [the exact translation is ‘guidance’] posters7, using force in the manner established in the investigations…


On the basis of this


The defendants have committed crimes under [lists articles].


And for this reason


After examining Presidential Decree 167 [year 1958] on the State of Emergency and Presidential Decree 560 [year 1981] on the Declaration of a State of Emergency and Presidential Decree 121 [year 2006] on the Extension of the State of Emergency and Presidential Order 1 [year 1981] on the transfer of certain crimes to State Security Courts, I order:


  1. The transfer of the case to the Supreme State Security Emergency Court based in the Tanta Appeals Court…The preventative detention of defendants 1, 3, 4, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 21, 26, 27, 28, 32, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 48 and 49 is hereby extended. Defendants 5, 8, 10, 22 and 23 are to be apprehended and detained in custody during the course of investigations.


[Points 2 – 4 concern appointment of lawyers and attachments detailing defendants’ previous convictions]

1 Kolleyya and gozeyya are types of public prosecution office with differing competencies

2 I’m not sure what these are called in American English! They’re the telephones in the street people used before mobiles/cells were invented

I think they call it telephone booth in American English too, no?

3 Note that this emergency post seems to have been mentioned twice

4 حوانيت سيلفر للاحذية

5 i.e. the possession of the weapon and the ammunition was unlicensed.

6 The verb used is nahab, which means to rob, plunder, ransack, loot. I would suggest that you ask Ahmed Ezzat whether this is a mistake in the charges since 1. logic dictates that robbing an advertisement is surely pointless 2. charges so far have been of criminal damage 3. photographs taken at the time clearly show people causing criminal damage to – rather than stealing – posters e.g. the poster of Mobarak.

7 اعلانات ارشادية I think this refers to the poster of Mobarak which was torn down and attacked