Archive for Omar Suleiman

Court to rule on Mubarak, Adly appeals on 13 January

by admin
December 23rd, 2012

The Court of Cassation on Sunday set 13 January to rule on former President Hosni Mubarak and former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly’s appeals against their convictions of failing the prevent the deaths of protesters during the 25 January revolution.

Mubarak and Adly were each sentenced to 25 years in prison in June. Both men challenged the verdict, and if the Court of Cassation accepts their appeals, they will be granted retrials.

The Public Prosecution also appealed a verdict in the same case that acquitted Mubarak, his sons Alaa and Gamal and businessman Hussein Salem of corruption, as well as the acquittal of six top security officials accused of killing protesters during the 18-day uprising. 



During the court session on Sunday, small fights broke out between supporters and opponents of the deposed president, as well as families of those martyred during the revolution, Al-Masry Al-Youm reported, adding that Mubarak supporters chanted against the Muslim Brotherhood. 



Turkish state news agency Anadolu reported that security forces did not intervene during the clashes. 



According to state-run Al-Ahram newspaper, Adly’s attorney Essam al-Battawy said the court did not respond to his request to summon Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and former intelligence head Mourad Mowafy. He claimed these men’s testimonies would have affected the outcome of the case.  



Anadolu also quoted attorney Mohamed al-Guindy as saying that Adly told him: “The Muslim Brotherhood has is not involved with violence or killing protesters during the January revolution. It’s a thought-based group.” The statement came after Mubarak’s lawyer Farid al-Deeb accused the brotherhood and the Palestinian Hamas movement of killing protesters, citing statements of deceased former spy chief Omar Suleiman. 



During Mubarak’s rule, security services under Adly investigated and imprisoned Brotherhood members on charges of being members of a banned group and plotting against national interest. 



Edited translation from MENA
 

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Brotherhood leader sees US, Israeli role in Sinai instability

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November 20th, 2012

A senior leader at the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party said there are “clear indications” the US and Israel have played a role in the crises in Sinai and Gaza.

“In the past, we used to inquire about the roles of [former chief of intelligence] Omar Suleiman and [former interior minister] Habib al-Adly, but now, with crises in Sinai and Gaza, I am looking for the role of [Israeli home front minister] Avi Dichter and [US Ambassador to Egypt] Anne Patterson,” Mohamed al-Beltagy, a former MP and a member of the Constituent Assembly, wrote on his Facebook page Tuesday.

The Sinai Peninsula has been especially unstable since the January 2011 revolution deposed former president Hosni Mubarak and later brought the Brotherhood to power through elections. The area has seen repeated clashes between security forces and unknown gunmen. One assault in August killed 16 Egyptian officers.

“There are apparent signs of a new wave of planned chaos,” Beltagy wrote. “Clashes, catastrophes, recurrent problems, surprising hurdles to the new constitution, unprecedented media controversies … mounting political disagreements, are all the setting for an atmosphere of chaos.”

Beltagy blamed the new Egyptian regime’s slow decision-making, allowing the former regime figures to occupy vital posts, and failing to expose “the plot being formed.”

However, Beltagy said he is “confident the revolution will proceed despite all challenges and threats.”

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Okasha supporters protest closure of Faraeen Channel

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August 11th, 2012

Dozens of supporters of the controversial TV host Tawfik Okasha staged a demonstration on Saturday outside the office of the public prosecutor and the High Court. They protested the suspension of Okasha's Faraeen Channel and his being interrogated on charges of inciting violence against President Mohamed Morsy.

"No to oppression and injustice," read some banners. Other slogans included: "60 years of injustice," "Rule to the people, Morsy," and "No to the closure of Faraeen Channel."

Some of the protesters raised images for deceased former Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman, others raised Egyptian flags and made victory signs while chanting against Morsy and the Muslim Brotherhood.

The rally caused traffic congestion for nearly half an hour outside the High Court. Police ended a few altercations between protesters and reporters.

Meanwhile, Okasha's lawyer Khaled Suleiman said that Okasha had received death threats from "banned" groups.

"We will not give in to continued attempts that seek to undermine the free media and the press which say the word of truth, and the demonstrators will flock daily to the High Court [for protest], until the end of interrogations with Okasha, and until Faraeen Channel, which represents a wide range of Egyptians, is reopened," Suleiman said.

State security prosecutors began investigations after three reports were filed against Okasha, accusing him of inciting his viewers to attempt to murder Morsy and of supporting a military coup d'état.

Edited transaltion from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Tuesday’s papers: A new government on Thursday

by admin
July 31st, 2012

State-owned daily Al-Ahram leads this morning with "New government to perform the oath after tomorrow." The government mouthpiece writes that 80 percent of the ministers have been appointed and that the executive will be declared on Thursday, and that presidential spokesman Yasser Ali stated that all ministers' names will be finalized today. This is the third government after the 25 January revolution

Ali added the formation of a new government wasn’t overdue, as such a task needs time and careful choice of ministers that are willing to handle the responsibility. Prime Minister-designate Hisham Qandil said yesterday in a press conference that negotiations are taking time because more than one choice is being considered for each ministry.  He also said that no deputy prime minister for economic affairs has been chosen yet. Tarek Amer, the head of Al-Ahly Bank has apologized for not taking the office.

On one hand, protesters at the presidential palace are to arrange a protest on Friday to denounce the formation of a government only representing the Freedom & Justice Party. In a recent statement, protesters declared that their sit-in would continue until a government that represents the Egyptian people is formed.

On the same topic, Al-Shorouk writes that Ali stated that it is normal for some nominees to not assume office. He stressed that this coming government will not be factionalist, but will be a balanced government of national personalities.

Another headline reads, "Half of the nominated personalities refuse office because of the Muslim Brotherhood and the other half is vetoed either by the SCAF or the Brotherhood.” The independent newspaper writes that a source close to Qandil said personalities in the economic field refused ministerial positions in his government due to the current instability or due to a political stance against a Brotherhood-dominated government. The newspaper adds that another group of nominees was vetoed by either the SCAF or the Brotherhood. The source added that Qandil met with many media officials with a vision on restructuring the media but uninterested in any official position. The source stated that many of these personalities have talk shows and added that the new prime minister is convinced that anyone who appears on a talk show and talks excessively on an issue can actually solve it.   

On its fifth page, Al-Shorouk writes an exclusive report about an alleged assassination attempt on the life of Omar Suleiman by Gamal Mubarak. The headline reads, “Gamal held the head of intelligence at gunpoint in the presence of former President Mubarak.”  The newspaper reports that a senior security source stated that on 28 January a gun exchange occurred at the presidential palace between Gamal Mubarak and Suleiman. It reported that former minister of information Anas al-Fiqqi along with Alaa Mubarak intervened to solve the clash. According to the newspaper, Suleiman was vocal about his disagreement that Mubarak pass the presidency to his son. The exclusive file reveals other classified information but no clear documents are presented in the article.

The Freedom and Justice party’s paper leads this morning with a different line. “10 ministers in the new government await a final decision,” reads the top headline. The newspaper adds that these ministers are mostly related to economics, in addition to the Ministry of Irrigation and Agriculture. The Brotherhood mouthpiece states that the delay is due to the relationship of some officials in the Ministry of Agriculture with Israel or the formerly ruling National Democratic Party.  The paper states that many officials take trips to Israel, and among these officials is Salah al-Sayyed Youssef, the Minister of Agriculture in the former government of Essam Sharaf.  

Egypt’s papers:

Al-Ahram: Daily, state-run, largest distribution in Egypt

Al-Akhbar: Daily, state-run, second to Al-Ahram in institutional size

Al-Gomhurriya: Daily, state-run

Rose al-Youssef: Daily, state-run

Al-Dostour: Daily, privately owned

Al-Shorouk: Daily, privately owned

Al-Watan: Daily, privately owned

Al-Wafd: Daily, published by the liberal Wafd Party

Youm7: Daily, privately owned

Al-Tahrir: Daily, privately owned

Freedom and Justice: Daily, published by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party

Sawt al-Umma: Weekly, privately owned

Al-Arabi: Weekly, published by the Nasserist Party

Al-Nour: Official paper of the Salafi Nour Party

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No evidence Suleiman was murdered, says his secretary

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July 27th, 2012

"There is no evidence that Major General Omar Suleiman was killed like Palestinian President Yasser Arafat," the former intelligence chief’s first secretary said Thursday.

Hussein Kamal said during a program on Al-Arabiya satellite channel that Suleiman was not suffering from a disease that would have prevented him from running for president, denying that he had cancer.

Kamal added that he first heard of the rare disease inflicting Suleiman when the former vice president died, saying, "I think if he had suffered from that disease earlier, it would have been detected on the spot."

Suleiman suffered from great psychological pressure six months ago due to the deterioration of the political situation, the economy and security in Egypt, Kamal claimed.

"His loss of appetite caused him lose 10 kilograms," he added.

Kamal said that he talked to Suleiman four hours before his death and that his spirits were high. He added that Suleiman had originally gone to Germany for treatment for fluid in his lungs before traveling to the US where he died.

Official reports said Suleiman died of amyloidosis, but some people are claiming he was assassinated. Former Freedom and Justice Party MP Osama Yassin has called for an investigation into Suleiman's death.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
 

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Sunday’s papers: Omar Suleiman, mysterious in death as well as life

by admin
July 22nd, 2012

 

The death of Egypt’s infamous former spy chief, who was believed to hold more secrets about Egypt and its politicians than any other, was just as controversial and mysterious as his life.
 
Among faithful admirers and angry critics, Omar Sulieman was laid to rest yesterday, having died at the age of 76 a hospital in Cleveland on Thursday.  
 
State-run Al-Akhbar reports that Suleiman’s funeral was both military and popular, led by Egypt’s top general Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi and his deputy Sami Anan and attended by thousands of Suleiman’s admirers.
 
The paper states that the funeral of the man known for leading the crackdown against Islamists in Egypt turned into an anti-Muslim Brotherhood protest as the mourners chanted against the group and recently elected President Mohamed Morsy.
 
The funeral put Morsy in a dilemma between his loyalty to the Brotherhood, which considers Suleiman one of its fiercest opponents, and his responsibility to attend the funeral of a member of the state he currently heads. Akhbar reports that Morsy skipped the funeral but sent a representative.
 
Privately owned Al-Tahrir reports that Suleiman supporters kidnapped Morsy’s representative in the funeral and trapped him in an apartment building intending to assault him, but the residents intervened.
 
The paper also says that military leaders tried, throughout a 90 minute meeting, to convince Morsy to attend the funeral to no avail. The paper reports that the funeral turned into a street fight between those taking part in the funeral and passers by.
 
State-run Al-Ahram, however, reports that the meeting was routine as part of Morsy’s following of the military affairs.
 
Privately owned Al-Dostour celebrates Suleiman, printing a list of what they consider to be his greatest accomplishments on the front page.
 
Among the paper’s picks of the former chief spy’s accomplishment is “cornering the Muslim Brotherhood and putting them where they belong, in prisons and detention centers.”
 
Some papers are also preoccupied with the cause of death of the controversial figure, which was announced to be a rare disease.
 
Privately owned Al-Shorouk explains the disease announced as the cause of death by the Cleveland hospital where Suleiman died. Amyloidosis, it reports, causes certain proteins to be abnormally deposited, affecting the organs.
 
Al-Wafd went for a conspiracy theory angle, with the headline “doubts around Suleiman’s death.” The paper reports that a lawyer submitted a demand to the prosecutor general to carry out an autopsy on the body. It also quotes an American professor as saying that the death is mysterious and should be investigated, especially as Suleiman held information that was dangerous to a lot of people.
 
Wael Kandil, Al-Shorouk's managing editor, staunchly criticizes those mourning Suleiman, calling them clowns in his column. He cites the words of Israeli Knesset member Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, who called Suleiman “the best of those who served Israel,” to demonstrate that the deceased did not serve Egypt as they claim.
 
Party paper Freedom and Justice has completely ignored the news of Suleiman’s funeral, leading instead with Morsy’s talks with Turkish officials about Syria.
 
Egypt’s papers:
 
Al-Ahram: Daily, state-run, largest distribution in Egypt
 
Al-Akhbar: Daily, state-run, second to Al-Ahram in institutional size
 
Al-Gomhurriya: Daily, state-run
 
Rose al-Youssef: Daily, state-run
 
Al-Dostour: Daily, privately owned
 
Al-Shorouk: Daily, privately owned
 
Al-Watan: Daily, privately owned
 
Al-Wafd: Daily, published by the liberal Wafd Party
 
Youm7: Daily, privately owned
 
Al-Tahrir: Daily, privately owned
 
Freedom and Justice: Daily, published by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party
 
Sawt al-Umma: Weekly, privately owned
 
Al-Arabi: Weekly, published by the Nasserist Party
 
Al-Nour: Official paper of the Salafi Nour Party
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Brotherhood MP calls for investigating how Omar Suleiman died

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July 22nd, 2012

The general intelligence service must provide clear information about the death of Omar Suleiman, former head of the People’s Assembly’s Youth Committee Osama Yassin has said.

The former intelligence chief died in the US Thursday while undergoing medical checkups at the age of 76.

Official reports said Suleiman died of amyloidosis, but some people are claiming he was assassinated.

On his Facebook page, Yassin, who is also a member of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, said, “Is the simultaneous death and injury of senior intelligence figures from a number of countries a coincidence?”

The same day Suleiman died, Hakan Fidan, the undersecretary of the Turkish intelligence service, was killed in his home in Istanbul, and a senior Israeli intelligence figure died in Austria.

Yassin questioned whether any of the intelligence officials met with officials from the Syrian regime to abort the Syrian revolution. He also questioned whether or not Suleiman was killed in Syria, during the same meeting Wednesday in which the Syrian ministers of defense, national security and interior were killed.

Suleiman was honored in a military funeral Saturday afternoon. Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa led the funeral prayers and thousands of people attended.

Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, and his deputy Sami Anan, Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim and several military leaders and government officials attended. President Mohamed Morsy dispatched a deputy to attend the funeral.

Egyptian news reports Sunday said Ramadan Abdel Hamid, a lawyer, had filed a report with the general prosecutor requesting an autopsy be carried out on Suleiman’s body.

General Hussein Kamal, head of Suleiman’s office, told Egypt's state TV that Suleiman died of depression because he was extremely saddened by conditions in the country and lost more than 10 kilograms in bodyweight before his death.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Thousand attend Suleiman’s funeral, protesters chant against Morsy

by admin
July 21st, 2012

Thousands attended the funeral of Omar Suleiman on Saturday afternoon amid a strong presence of Central Security Forces, presidential guards and military police.

Some attendees of the military funeral at Aal Rashdan Mosque in Nasr City raised their shoes and chanted against President Mohamed Morsy, a Muslim Brotherhood member, accusing him of killing Suleiman.
 
Suleiman was a longtime intelligence chief and the last vice president under former President Hosni Mubarak
 
Morsy did not attend the funeral, but sent Presidential Grand Chamberlain Major General Abdel Moemen Fouda in his place.
 
Head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, his deputy Sami Anan, and Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim attended.
 
The protesters chanted: "Oh armed forces come from Sinai, the Muslim Brotherhood are slaughtering us," and chanted in support of Tantawi and the armed forces.
 
A number of public figures also attended the funeral, including former MPs Mostafa Bakry and Mohamed Abu Hamed, Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa, former Minister of Local Development Major General Mohsen al-Noamany, former editor of state-run paper Al-Ahram Osama Saraya, and Major General Hassan al-Rowainy.
 
Suleiman's body arrived at Cairo International Airport on Saturday from the Ohio in the US, where he died in hospital on Thursday, aged 76, while undergoing medical checks.
 
Suleiman, who was considered Mubarak's most trusted man, dued due to complications from amyloidosis, a disease that affects multiple organs including the heart and kidneys, the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio said in a statement on Thursday night.
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Suleiman’s grandson: I will sue Jama’a al-Islamiya for press statement

by admin
July 21st, 2012

 

Mohamed al-Faham, grandson of the late Omar Suleiman, said Saturday he would sue the Jama'a al-Islamiya after one of its leaders said praying for Suleiman or attending his funeral is against Islam.
 
The former intelligence chief died Thursday in the US and recieved a military funeral in Egypt on Saturday.
 
A member of the Jama'a al-Islamiya's shura council, Tarek a-Zomor, had said in a press statement "Omar Suleiman does not deserve honoring and praying over his body."
 
"[Suleiman's death] is a lesson to all those who contributed to supporting the continuation of the former regime, and should motivate them to take the initiative to repent of their injustices before they die," said Zomor.
 
Suleiman, Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister and later a presidential candidate in this year's elections, was considered by many to be Mubarak's most trusted man and an accomplice in Israel's siege of Gaza.
 
His spy agency was responsible for suppressing opposition groups in Egypt, and in his role as spy chief he led a crackdown on Islamists. He was also involved in the post 9/11 extraordinary rendition program, in which terror suspects, often Islamists, were kidnapped by Americans and shipped to Egypt for interrogation, sometimes involving torture.
 
The Islamist organization Jama'a al-Islamiya formed in the 1970s and engaged in armed confrontations with security forces in the 1990s, aiming to depose the Mubarak regime and establish an Islamic state. In the late 1990s it renounced its violent, jihadist ideology, and apologized for previous attacks that had killed hundreds. Its members were targeted by the intelligence services, but since the 25 January uprising many have been released from prison and it now has a political arm, the Construction and Development Party.
 
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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Omar Suleiman to receive military funeral Saturday

by admin
July 21st, 2012

Former spy chief and vice president Omar Suleiman is to receive a military funeral in Cairo on Saturday, Egypt's state news agency reported.

"General Omar Suleiman, former vice president, will receive a military funeral after prayers at the Rashdan Mosque," in Cairo, MENA said.
Suleiman died on Thursday aged 77. He had been undergoing medical tests in the United States.
 
"On Thursday, July 19, General Omar Suleiman … passed away due to complications from amyloidosis, a disease that affects multiple organs including the heart and kidneys," the Cleveland Clinic said in a statement issued on Thursday night.
 
Suleiman had reportedly suffered from a lung disease for several months, after which he developed heart problems.
 
A private plane carrying his body arrived at Cairo Airport at dawn on Saturday. An ambulance was waiting at the VIP terminal to transport the body, and Suleiman supporters and several general intelligence and military police leaders waited by the terminal's exit.
 
The Rashdan Mosque is in Cairo's Nasr City district.
 
Meanwhile, Major General Mohamad Naguib Hassan, Assistant Interior Minister for the prison sector, has denied a news story that Hosni Mubarak, who is now detained at Tora Prison Hospital, submitted a request to attend the funeral.
 
Funeral prayers dedicated to Suleiman's soul were performed in a mosque in 6th of October City Friday. The mosque’s imam described Suleiman as “a good man, and not corrupt.”
 
He said Suleiman did well in the battles against Israel. He forbade insulting and cursing Suleiman, or accusing him of blasphemy, because he was a Muslim.
 
According to the imam, fate placed Suleiman with the former regime, but he was never a liar or a thief.
 
Suleiman was considered by many to be Mubarak's most trusted man and an accomplice in Israel's siege of Gaza.
 
His spy agency was responsible for suppressing opposition groups in Egypt, and he was involved in the post 9/11 extraordinary rendition program in which terror suspects kidnapped by Americans were shipped to Egypt for interrogation, sometimes involving torture.
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