Von Ahram Online
In August 2014, unidentified gunmen opened fire at Mortada Mansour as he was leaving Zamalek club premises
Eighteen Zamalek football club fans were sentenced to five years in jail on Saturday for attempting to kill club chairman Mortada Mansour in August 2014.
Three other defendants were acquitted by Giza Criminal Court, including a leading member of the hardcore Ultras White Knights fan group, Sayed Moshageb.
In August 2014, unidentified gunmen opened fire at Mansour as he was leaving the club premises.
The 63-year-old escaped unharmed, but two workers at the club were injured.
In June 2015, Mansour withdrew his police complaint against 21 people he accused of being involved in the attack on his life. However, the withdrawal of the complaint is not binding on the court.
Mansour, however, did not withdraw his complain against Moshageb, one of the few acquitted by the court.
Only five of those convicted were arrested in the case, and later released pending trial. The rest were tried in absentia.
The verdict can still be appealed, if the defendants hand themselves in to the authorities.
In a separate court verdict also released on Saturday, eight members of the Ultras White Knights were sentenced to a year in prison for attempting to storm the club in a related incident, also in August 2014.
The accused were found guilty of rioting, attempting to storm the club, attempting to murder a club employee, causing damages to the club’s main building, possession of fire works and disrupting general peace and security.
Five others were acquitted in the case. The verdict can still be appealed.
Those convicted included Moshageb.
In December’s parliamentary elections, Mansour, an outspoken public figure, won a seat.
Mansour — who was elected president of the Zamalek Club for the third time in March 2014 — has been a controversial figure in Egyptian politics since the 1990s, known for filing controversial lawsuits against his critics.
Quelle: Ahram Online, 09. Januar 2016