Egypt: Sami Anan absolves Hamas and Hezbollah of prison breaks during 2011 revolt

Former Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces and presidential hopeful Sami Anan said during a Mubarak trial that the Egyptian army had not detected any infiltration of armed elements from Hamas and Hezbollah during the January 25 revolution, Youm7 newspaper reported Monday.

In a court hearing, Anan was asked whether military intelligence agencies had detected any infiltration by Hezbollah and Hamas militants through Sinai tunnels during the revolution, his answer was the opposite of what other army leaders said. He completely denied the fact that the army spotted any infiltration by these groups.

“No, the army agencies did not detect any infiltration by these groups,” he said. The testimony contradicted other testimonies by former Minister of Defense Tantawi, who repeatedly stated that “Hamas and Hezbollah elements infiltrated into Egypt with the purpose of spreading chaos.” Anan commented on Tantawi’s remarks saying: “Perhaps he [Tantawi] is referring to pieces of evidence rather than verified information.”

When asked about the State Security’s report about the arrest of Hamas and Hezbollah members in Tahrir square, Anan answered: “I have no information about that.”

Regarding the role of the Muslim Brotherhood in the January 25 revolution, Anan said: “I cannot specify the role of the Muslim Brotherhood in January events because I have to acquire accurate information first.” When he was asked who was responsible for prison breaks during the revolution, he answered: “the beneficiaries of chaos.” Asked who these “beneficiaries” are, he answered: “I cannot specify.”

When asked whether unidentified gunmen, rather than police officers, had killed protesters on January 28, 2011, his answer was: “I cannot surely say so, but I am confident that foreign elements were involved.”

Moreover, Anan was asked whether Mubarak issued any directives to end the bloodshed during the revolution, he said that Mubarak did not issue any decision in this regard.