Mubarak case suffers blow on prosecution witnesses

Cairo, Sept 6: The case against Hosni Mubarak has suffered a blow after top police officers told a trial court here that orders to open fire on anti-regime protesters were not given by the fallen Egyptian strongman but by the chief of anti-riot forces.

The court has adjourned till September 7 the trial after several witnesses testified for the first time in the trial of the ousted president on Monday.

Top police general Hussein Saeed Mursi and three other key witness made crucial depositions in the court.

The court heard one witness pointing a finger of blame at the chief of anti-riot forces for dozens of deaths in Egypt's revolution. Monday's session was the third since the trial opened on August 3.

The court is investigating whether the orders to fire on the crowds were solely given by the interior ministry or the president.

Judge Ahmed Refaat, the presiding judge in the trial of Mubarak, ordered the trial be adjourned to Wednesday to hear the testimonies of prosecution witnesses.

Four police officers took the witness stand, including Mursi who headed the anti-riot police's communications department at the time of the uprising.

Mursi said, that General Ahmed Ramzi, head of anti-riot forces, gave "clear instructions to protect the interior ministry and deal with the demonstrators with automatic weapons."

PTI