Egypt: Retrial of ‘Damietta Cell’ Members Postponed to June 8

Security forces stand guard in Alexandria, Egypt (file photo: Reuters)
Security forces stand guard in Alexandria, Egypt (file photo: Reuters)
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Egypt: Retrial of ‘Damietta Cell’ Members Postponed to June 8

Security forces stand guard in Alexandria, Egypt (file photo: Reuters)
Security forces stand guard in Alexandria, Egypt (file photo: Reuters)

The Cairo Criminal Court decided Sunday to postpone the first hearing of the retrial of three accused members of the Damietta terrorist cell to June 8.

The public prosecutor referred the defendants to the criminal court after charging them along with several others.

The charges include forming a terrorist group that embraces takfiri ideologies and committing crimes such as targeting churches, Christians and the state’s vital installations.

They also joined a terrorist group that was established in violation of the provisions of the law. The group calls for breaching the constitution, preventing state institutions from functioning, targeting public and private facilities and disturbing public peace.

The retrial of suspects accused in the case known as “Kerdasa massacre” was postponed to June 1.

The suspects stormed Kerdasa Police Center in August 2013, killed the head of the station, his deputy, 12 officers and a police conscript.

The public prosecution referred the defendant and others to the criminal court on charges of “participating in the August 2013 protests and committing premeditated murders after storming the police station.

The criminal court had in 2017 sentenced 20 defendants to death, 80 to life in prison, while 34 had received a 15-year sentence and a minor 10 years.



UN Peacekeeping Mission in South Lebanon Has Recorded over 30 Incidents Resulting in Damage

A Lebanese army soldier stands near UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL) vehicles in Marjayoun, near the border with Israel, amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, southern Lebanon October 29, 2024. REUTERS/Karamallah Daher
A Lebanese army soldier stands near UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL) vehicles in Marjayoun, near the border with Israel, amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, southern Lebanon October 29, 2024. REUTERS/Karamallah Daher
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UN Peacekeeping Mission in South Lebanon Has Recorded over 30 Incidents Resulting in Damage

A Lebanese army soldier stands near UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL) vehicles in Marjayoun, near the border with Israel, amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, southern Lebanon October 29, 2024. REUTERS/Karamallah Daher
A Lebanese army soldier stands near UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL) vehicles in Marjayoun, near the border with Israel, amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, southern Lebanon October 29, 2024. REUTERS/Karamallah Daher

The UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon says it has recorded over 30 incidents resulting in damage to UN property or premises or injuring peacekeepers
Andrea Tenenti, spokesman for the mission known as UNIFIL, told a video press conference from Beirut Wednesday that it attributed about 20 of the incidents to Israeli military fire or actions, “with seven being clearly deliberate.”
In an incident Tuesday, he said, a rocket likely fired by Hezbollah or an affiliated group hit UNIFIL’s headquarters in Naqura, setting a workshop on fire, with some peacekeepers suffering minor injuries, according to The Associated Press.
The origin of the fire couldn’t be determined for about a dozen incidents, he said.
“What has been very concerning are incidents where peacekeepers performing their monitoring tasks, as well as our cameras, lighting and entire watch towners, have been deliberately targeted,” Tenenti said.
He stressed that the actions of both Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters are putting peacekeepers in danger, whether through deliberate acts or crossfire.
“Despite a very tense situation, UNIFIL continues to stay in contact with Lebanese and Israeli authorities urging de-escalation,” he said.
Even with the dramatic surge in exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah in the past few weeks, Tenenti said UNIFIL has also been working hard behind the scenes to coordinate the delivery of humanitarian aid by UN agencies and their local partners.