Al-Ahram Weekly | Egypt

		Al-Ahram Weekly Online 30 August - 5 September 2001 Issue No.549
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875		Current issue \| Previous issue \| Site map

Newsreel

Israeli 'crime' condemned
EGYPT condemned the killing on Monday of Abu-Ali Mustafa, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, by Israeli missiles, describing it as a "crime" that will cause a further deterioration of the situation in the Palestinian territories.
"This crime marks a very serious escalation," Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said. "These Israeli provocations threaten the security of all peoples in the region," he added.
Maher also said, "This operation is another [in a series] of crimes committed by Israeli forces against Palestinian leaders. It contravenes all international conventions respected by civilised nations."
Egyptian arrested in Canada
CANADA'S intelligence service believes an Egyptian living in Toronto, Mahmoud Gaballah, is linked to the underground Al-Jihad group, responsible for the fatal 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
Gaballah was named in court documents released on Monday as a member of the Egyptian Al-Jihad group, one of whose leaders is a close associate of Osama bin Laden, who has been indicted for the embassy bombings that left more than 200 dead. Bin Laden lives in exile in Afghanistan.
The documents, based on a Canadian Security Intelligence Service investigation, allege that Gaballah has links to an array of Al-Jihad members in Canada and abroad, including several implicated in the embassy blasts.
Gaballah is also wanted by the Egyptian government for alleged involvement in terrorism.
"It is the service's opinion that Al-Jihad was, and continues to be, engaged in terrorism against the government of Egypt, the United States and other Western countries," says a summary of the evidence filed in the Federal Court.
Gaballah, a father of six who teaches at a Muslim school, was arrested on similar grounds in 1999, but a judge threw out the case against him, saying his denials were credible.
But the Canadian intelligence agency continued its investigation and recently brought new evidence to Immigration and Citizenship Minister Elinor Caplan and Lawrence MacAulay, the solicitor-general, who signed a certificate declaring Gaballah a threat to national security.
Gaballah was arrested two weeks ago in Toronto. He could be deported to Egypt if the Federal Court upholds the government's case.
Al-Nabaa strikes again
HATEM Mahran, son of Al-Nabaa Chief Editor Mamdouh Mahran, was remanded in custody for four days after he led a group that gate-crashed the Press Syndicate's headquarters and physically attacked two members of the Syndicate's council on Sunday.
Backed by some 50 Al-Nabaa journalists and workers, Mahran stormed the syndicate building, plastered the walls with banners, and distributed leaflets condemning the syndicate and calling for the suspended newspaper to be reinstated. While trying to stop them, the syndicate's deputy chairman, Abdel-Aal El-Baqouri, and Secretary-General Yehia Qallash were physically attacked.
Al-Nabaa and its sister publication, Akher Khabar, became infamous two months ago for publishing an exposé of the alleged salacious activities of a defrocked monk, Adel Saadallah Gabriel. In July, the Administrative Court ordered the closure of the two newspapers and revoked their licences. Mahran filed an appeal with the Higher Administrative Court.
The Press Syndicate expelled Mahran and his son from its membership on 23 June on the grounds that they were publishers and editors at the same time - a violation of the syndicate's regulations. But the Administrative Court overturned the decision this month. The syndicate has contested the court's decision with the Higher Administrative Court.
Mahran is also standing trial before the State Security Misdemeanours Court in a case brought against him by the State Security Prosecutor. A ruling will be handed down on 16 September. He faces five charges that carry up to 12 years imprisonment.
Sub-standard food
ON TUESDAY, a Giza State Security Court sentenced Ashraf Al-Quweiri, owner of the Overseas Company for Food Products, to five years imprisonment - three for forging a health certificate and selling sub-standard food, and two for trying to bribe a government official. Ahmed Maqsoud, the company's exports director, was also sentenced to five years on similar charges.
Three other company officials drew imprisonment terms ranging from six months to three years.
Al-Quweiri was accused of exporting 28 tonnes of foodstuffs to an Arab country that returned the consignment to Egypt on the grounds that it was sub-standard. Egyptian authorities decided to destroy the consignment, but Maqsoud offered an LE2,500 bribe to a government official to gain a stay of execution. The foodstuffs later "disappeared" and it turned out that some were exported and the rest were sold on the local market.

Compiled by Shaden Shehab

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Newsreel

Israeli 'crime' condemned

Egyptian arrested in Canada

Al-Nabaa strikes again

Sub-standard food