Sadat’s daughter sues former presidential aide over Nasser poisoning claims

AFP

Tue, 21/09/2010 - 14:48

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File photo showing veteran writer and journalist Mohamed Hassanein Heikal during a book launch event, al-Shorouq Bookstore, Cairo, December 21, 2009. Tuesday, Mrs. Ruqaiya al-Sadat, daughter of late President Anwar al-Sadat, has sued Mr. Heikal over claims late President al-Sadat poisoned his predecessor Gamal Abdel Nasser, according to a judicial source. Mrs. al-Sadat requested legal action Sunday, September 19, 2010 - filing at General Prosecutor - against Mr. Heikal who, on Tagrubat Hayah (A Lifetime's Harvest) of Al-Jazeera news network, Thursday, September 16, 2010 publicly suggested, according to Mrs. Sadat, late President Sadat may have poisoned his predecessor Gamal Abdel Nasser; hence fostering a mental image of President Sadat as a plotter in copious writings on his life and connections to Free Officers Movement.

Photographed by Pakinam Amer

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The daughter of late Egyptian president Anwar Sadat is suing his former aide over claims the leader poisoned his predecessor Gamal Abdel Nasser, a judicial source said on Tuesday.

Roqaya al-Sadat has filed a complaint to the prosecutor general accusing Mohammed Hassanein Heikal, a prominent journalist who was Sadat's aide and adviser, of libel, the source said.

In a program on pan-Arab satellite channel Al-Jazeera, Heikal said Nasser died three days after Sadat personally prepared a cup of coffee for him, implying the beverage was poisoned.

"My father didn't like coffee and didn't know how to prepare coffee," Roqaya said in the complaint to the prosecutor general, the judicial source said.

After the Al-Jazeera program was aired on Thursday last week, Nasser's son Abdel Hakim said he was aware of the rumors but had no evidence to back the claims.

"I heard the cup of coffee story years ago from my sister, but I can't tell what happened," Abdel Hakim was quoted as saying by the state-owned newspaper Egyptian Mail.

"All the options are now on the table, but we don't have clear evidence to convict anyone," he said.

Nationalist leader Nasser suffered a heart attack and died in office on September 28, 1970.

Sadat, who was his deputy at the time, then took over as president. He was gunned down in 1981 by Islamist militants opposed to a peace deal he agreed with Israel.