Egypt releases over 200 football fans

CAIRO: Egypt’s military prosecutors have released more than 200 football fans who had spent over five months in detention accused of vandalising a stadium and attacking police, a lawyer said Monday.

Police had detained hundreds of supporters of Cairo’s Zamalek club following a July 9 game against Libya’s Al Alhi SC, keeping 236 of them in detention ever since, said defence lawyer Mohamed Hafez, who represented more than 100 of them. Following months of investigations, the military prosecution released them Saturday “because there was not enough evidence to allow for a criminal trial,” Hafez said.

Their release was also reported by state media. The supporters were accused of destroying seats at Alexandria’s Borg El Arab Stadium and attacking police, the lawyer said.

They were also accused of belonging to the Ultras White Knights, a club of hard core Zamalek supporters, said Hafez, who is also a lawyer at the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression. “There was rioting inside the Borg El Arab Stadium, and some of the seats were destroyed, and then about 600 of Zamalek’s supporters were randomly arrested,” Hafez said.