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Egypt court convicts 26 men of links to Hezbollah

29 April 2010 00:16 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. An Egyptian court on Wednesday convicted 26 men of planning attacks inside Egypt and of being linked to Lebanese group Hezbollah, APA reports quoting â€œHaaretzâ€.

Judge Adel Abdel Salam Gomaa of the emergency state security court sentenced the men - who included Lebanese, Palestinians, Egyptians and one Sudanese - to prison terms ranging from six months to 25 years.

Gomaa said the investigation proved the group intended "to strike Egypt’s economy, destroy the bonds between its people and create chaos and instability throughout the country."
The court’s sentences may not be appealed. Only the president can
overturn its verdict.

The 26 detainees in the were arrested in late 2008 and early 2009 and charged with conspiring to carry out attacks against the Suez Canal and tourist sites within Egypt, spying for a foreign entity and possession of explosives.

Media reports at the time said the investigation into Hezbollah activities revealed that the goal of the cell was to undermine stability in Egypt and to strike at Israeli targets, not to aid Gaza’s Hamas rulers.

Among those tried was Sami Chehab, also named as Mohamed Youssef Mansour Ahmed, who received a jail term of 15 years. He was present in court, placed with the others inside a cage.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah last year confirmed Chehab was a member of the group but denied he committed any crime, saying Chehab was only involved in helping equip Palestinians in their fight against Israel.

Defense attorney Montasser Zayat said three of those convicted received life sentences, which he said in Egyptian law was equivalent to 25 years.

Egypt’s relations with Hezbollah have been strained since the group called Egypt a "partner in crime" with Israel against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Some Arabs have criticized Egypt for what they say is Cairo’s support of Israel’s blockade of Gaza.

Egypt, the only Arab state to share a border with Gaza, has said Nasrallah was trying to create chaos in the region to serve the interests of others, an apparent reference to Iran.

Cairo has long had strained relations with Tehran and the two countries do not have full diplomatic ties.

Nasrallah had said no more than 10 people had cooperated with Chehab, rather than the 26 Egypt accused.

Twenty-two of the detainees claimed in August that they had been tortured.