Evidence and witness statements recently revealed that head of the Shura Council Safwat al-Sherif masterminded the 2 February attack on Tahrir Square protesters known as the "Battle of the Camel".
The investigation committee, which was charged by the justice minister to investigate the incident, said that as the secretary general of the now-dissolved National Democratic Party (NDP), Sherif was responsible for planning anti-revolution marches and rallies, including those of groups of thugs supporting ousted President Hosni Mubarak who attacked the protesters.
The committee also said that Sherif communicated by phone with NDP loyalists and members of the party, parliament, the Shura Council in order to compel them to disperse anti-Mubarak protests by force, even if it meant killing demonstrators. The committee said the calls involved clear and direct instructions from Sherif for NDP members to mobilize counter-protests, as well as attack Tahrir protesters.
According to the investigation, the counter-protests were set to begin in Mostafa Mahmoud Square, Abdel Moneim Riad Square and the Maspiro area of downtown Cairo, and then head to Tahrir Square.
The crowds were led by NDP-affiliated members of parliament and NDP loyalists, some of whom came on camels, horses and horse-drawn wagons, according to the findings. The witnesses named former MP Abdul Nasr al-Jabri, who represented the Haram and Omraniya constituencies, and Youssef Khatab, who represented the Giza constituency, as inciting counter-revolution protesters to attack the Tahrir Square protesters.
The investigations included statements from 87 witnesses, which included journalists, lawyers, doctors, businessmen, employees and NDP members. According to the statements, groups of thugs and outlaws that attacked protesters were systematically mobilized under direct orders from NDP officials to all NDP cadres.
The witnesses also said that the plan carried a specific mandate to empty Tahrir Square by all means possible under the pretext that the protesters were harming Egypt’s interests and were receiving instructions from foreign entities. The witnesses went on to say that “snipers” on roof-tops overlooking Tahrir began firing at the protesters, as camels, horses and thugs broke into the square, violently attacking the protesters on two fronts.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
