According to foreign press reports the three men named above were sentenced to death last week, following a military trial held in secret. Medhat Tahhawi and Mohammad Ahmed Sa’id Salih are believed to be members of the armed forces. Hammad Mohammad Lufti, a civilian, was sentenced in absentia. Three others reportedly received prison sentences. The six, allegedly members of an armed Islamist opposition group, al-Gam’a al-Islamiya, were reportedly accused of planning the assassination of President Mubarak. Their trial at the military barracks in Sidi Barrani, reportedly began on 30 January. There is concern that the two men could be executed within weeks if their sentences are upheld.
