Throughout the Egyptian crisis Christians were told that we need to support Mubarak because Islamists would kill our brothers and sisters in Egypt. With the New Year's Day bombing of the al-Qiddissin (Saints) Church in Alexandria such fears would seem to be reasonable.
In a rare televised address, Mr Mubarak said it bore the hallmark of "foreign hands" seeking to destabilise Egypt.
But the Egyptian Christians didn't seem to buy into this, even protecting Muslim protestors during prayers.
Update: British Intelligence is citing this as reason Mubarak should go.
Then Jan25 Voices had the following tweet this morning.
AJZ Ticker: Egy AG refers fmr MoI Al Habib Al Adly to court: accused of involvement in #Qiddissin Church bombing
Habib Al Adly is the former interior minister of Egypt and was accused of deliberately releasing prisoners in order to show "chaos" in Egypt.
British Intelligence is citing this as the reason Mubarak must go:
A British diplomat revealed before the Chambers of the French Palace, Elysee, the reason for the insistence of England to demand the departure of the Egyptian President and his team, especially the Ministry of Interior, which was administered by the Minister Habib Al-Adli, the reason is that British intelligence confirmed, from audio and paper Egyptian official documents , that the sacked Egyptian Interior Minister Habib Al-Adli had formed six years ago, a special body run by 22 officers, and consists of some members of Islamic groups, which spent years in the prisons of the Interior ministry, number of drug dealers, teams of security companies, and number of registered risk of ex-offenders, who were divided into groups according to geographical regions and political affiliation, this body is able to be a comprehensive sabotage all over Egypt in case the regime is subjected to any threat.
The British intelligence also revealed that Major Fathi Abdel Wahed, who is close to the former Minister Habib Al-Adli, started on 11 December to prepare "Ahmed Mohamed Khaled" (who spent eleven years in the prisons of the Egyptian Interior Ministry) for the connect to a radical Egyptian group, as to push it to hit Saints Church in Alexandria. Ahmed al-Khalid succeeded in making contacts to a radical movement in Egypt, its name (Jundullah), and told her that he has equipment which he got from Gaza, that could explode the Church in order to "discipline the Copts". Muhammad Abd al-Hadi (leader of Jundullah) liked the idea, and recruited an element named Abdul Rahman Ahmed Ali. Abdul Rahman was told that he will park the car, which will explode on its own later, but Major Fathi Abdul Wahid himself was the one who exploded the car remotely, by wireless device, and before Abdel-Rahman Ahmed Ali the victim could step out of the car.
Thus happened the horrific crime that shook Egypt and the world last year’s new Eve.
Update: Starting to get picked up by Egyptian Media:
Things are starting to get picked up by mainstream Egyptian media:
Prosecution investigates Interior Minister's alleged involvement in church attack
By Essam Fadl /Special to Daily News Egypt February 8, 2011, 12:10 am
The High State Security Prosecution office will investigate on Tuesday the alleged involvement of former Minister of Interior in the Alexandria Church attack on New Year’s, a source at the General Prosecutor’s office said.
The source didn’t want to be named because he wasn’t authorized to speak to the media.
Coptic lawyer Mamdouh Ramzy had filed on Monday a complaint to General Prosecutor Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud accusing former minister Habib El-Adly of organizing "militias of security personnel, former inmates and members of extremists organizations" that were responsible for bombing of the Church of Two Saints in Alexandria.
The attack that took place in the first hours of the new year killed 24 and left over 90 injured.
Ramzy told Daily News Egypt that he was summoned for questioning on Tuesday at the High State Security Prosecution after the General Prosecutor referred his complaint for investigation.
Ramzy said he based his complaint on press reports that quoted leaked British intelligence documents allegedly describing Al-Adly "militias". According to Ramzy, the documents said these militias would wreack havoc in the country if the regime is threatened.
If this turns out to be true, war crime charges could be in the offing. I call on my fellow believers to not believe the lie and side with our brave brothers and sisters in Egypt who instead of following the violence are working for peace and their country.
Here's what they were saying during Sunday Mass from Tahrir Square yesterday (from comments on YouTube):
00:40 one hand one hand one hand
01:00 bless my country for you hear the prayers in everybody's heart . bless our country and send us the rain
03:00 this country is a protected one , we have a promise in the bible which is "blessed be egypt my people"
3:37 peace for egypt's people every where
11:06 long live the crescent (new moon) with the cross . egypt is for all the egyptions . they are asking for food freedom and humanity
12:10 god please teach us to love each other , our country and you
12:30 god protect , bless , remove the fear . give us love . he stresses on bless EGYPT
ONE hand one hand one hand
And I add, AMEN.
