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Al-Ahram Weekly 9 - 15 September 1999 Issue No. 446 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 9 - 15 September 1999 Issue No. 446
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Focus Culture Features Books Special Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Foiled assault
By Jailan Halawi & Nevine Khalil
Three senior officials in charge of Port Said security have been re-assigned to other posts, and referred to interrogation, following an abortive attack in the northern city on Monday against President Hosni Mubarak. The three were named as Maj. Gen. Hassan Gebril, the city's security chief, Maj. Gen. Abdallah Nasr, state security inspector, and Brig. Gen. Mohamed Shaalan, director of the city's investigation department.
Two other police officers and two police conscripts, in charge of securing the route of President Mubarak's motorcade, will face trial before a military court.
Mubarak, during a visit to Port Said at the Suez Canal's northern entrance, survived an attack by a knife-wielding man, who was subsequently officially described as mentally deranged. Reports in the opposition press, however, said the assailant, El-Sayed Suleiman, was an Islamist extremist.
Mubarak's hand was slightly injured when Suleiman rushed towards his motorcade brandishing a pocket-knife and attempted to attack the president, who was waving to crowds lining the road.
Mubarak's chief bodyguard, riding in the passenger seat in front, tried to fend off the attacker and was wounded in the hand. Other bodyguards immediately opened fire, killing Suleiman on the spot.
According to investigators, Suleiman, 40, was a street vendor of ready-made garments. An Interior Ministry statement said he did not belong to any militant group or organisation.
But opposition press reports described him as an extremist. One report said he had grown a beard -- an indication that he was a fundamentalist -- which he shaved off prior to the attack. Another report quoted El-Badri Farghali, a Port Said parliamentary representative, as saying the assailant considered other Muslims as infidel and was well-known to the city's security authorities.
The outlawed Muslim Brotherhood denounced the attack the next day, issuing a statement condemning "the attempt to harm the president and thanking God for his safety." Opposition political parties, including the liberal Wafd, Islamist-oriented Labour and leftist Tagammu, also condemned the attack. Congratulations for Mubarak's safety came from world leaders, including US President Bill Clinton.
The assault took place on Port Said's 23rd of July Street as Mubarak was heading from the airport to the Port Said governorate headquarters. He had just returned from a tour of a mega infrastructure project on the city's outskirts. In the morning the president had visited the construction site of the East Port Said seaport, which has so far cost LE1.5 billion to build, and will serve up to 3.5 million containers annually.
After visiting the strategically located port, at the crossroads between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, Mubarak took a helicopter back to town to attend a public rally.
The route of the president's motorcade had not been cordoned off to keep the public at a distance. The assailant came from a spot three metres to the right of the president's black Mercedes. It was reported that around half a dozen bullets were fired at Suleiman. According to the coroner's report, a bullet pierced the abdomen and caused his death.
After the incident and a quick change of suits, Mubarak went on to give a televised speech on Egypt's economic achievements, during which he gestured frequently with his hands in an indication that his injury was negligible. After his public appearance, the president travelled to Sharm Al-Sheikh to bid farewell to Oman's Sultan Qaboos on Tuesday and to later receive Jordan's King Abdullah.
In Port Said the investigating team questioned the assailant's family and his psychiatrist, all of whom confirmed that Suleiman had a history of deviant and aggressive behaviour. Dr. Magdi Mustafa, director of the psychiatric ward at Port Said's Al-Nasr Hospital, had treated Suleiman four years ago. He described Suleiman as "mentally disturbed" and said that sedatives were his only cure. Mustafa explained that if a patient with Suleiman's disorder does not take his medication, "he becomes aggressive and is not responsible for his actions."
According to Suleiman's wife, the father of two had led a secluded life due to continuous fights with his neighbours and family. Investigators found out that Suleiman was known to have had a notorious temper which earned him a bad reputation in his neighbourhood.
