Gamal, left, and Alaa Mubarak, right, arrive to the police academy courthouse in Cairo, Egypt on June 2, 2012. Egyptian security officials say the two sons of ex-president Hosni Mubarak have been released from prison, nearly four years after they were first arrested along with their father. AP Photo / File
Gamal, left, and Alaa Mubarak, right, arrive to the police academy courthouse in Cairo, Egypt on June 2, 2012. Egyptian security officials say the two sons of ex-president Hosni Mubarak have been released from prison, nearly four years after they were first arrested along with their father. AP Photo / File
Gamal, left, and Alaa Mubarak, right, arrive to the police academy courthouse in Cairo, Egypt on June 2, 2012. Egyptian security officials say the two sons of ex-president Hosni Mubarak have been rele
Security officials said the two, Alaa and Gamal, walked free from Torah Prison in a southern Cairo suburb shortly after dawn and headed to their respective homes in the capital’s Heliopolis suburb.
CAIRO // The two sons of ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak were released from prison on Monday, nearly four years after they were first arrested along with their father.
Security officials said Alaa and Gamal walked free from Torah prison in a southern Cairo suburb shortly after daybreak and headed to their respective homes in the capital’s upscale Heliopolis suburb.
State media reported on Friday that they had been released, but prison officials said on Sunday their release was delayed at the last minute, to avoid further inflaming opponents of the new government.
On Sunday, the fourth anniversary of the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak, at least 23 people were killed in anti-government protests in the country – the bloodiest day of protests since Abdel Fattah El Sisi was elected president in June.
Both men, along with their father, still face a retrial on corruption charges.
Separately, the they also face trial on insider trading charges. They have been acquitted of other charges.
Mr Mubarak, 86 and ailing, stepped down in February 2011 in the face of a popular uprising. He and his two sons were arrested in April that year.
Mr Mubarak remains at a military hospital in a southern suburb of Cairo although there are no longer any legal grounds for his detention.
The Mubarak sons were sentenced to four years in prison, while their father for three years, on charges of using state funds to renovate family residencies. The sentences were overturned earlier this month.
In 2012, Mr Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison for failing to prevent the killing of some 900 protesters during the 18-day uprising against his rule. That verdict also was overturned on appeal. He was retried but the case was dismissed last month on a technicality.
The two, particularly Gamal, are viewed by many Egyptians as among the pillars of an authoritarian and corrupt administration that struck an alliance with mega-wealthy businessmen at the expense of the nation’s poor and disadvantaged.
Mr Mubarak was widely believed to have been grooming Gamal to succeed him. The release of the two sons could spark further protests and would certainly fuel the notion among the secular and liberal activists behind the 2011 uprising that the Mubarak regime has been making a comeback since Mr El Sisi, who served as the former strongman’s military intelligence chief, took office in June.
* Associated Press, with additional reporting from Agence France-Presse
FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
2) Smishing
The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
3) Vishing
The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
4) SIM swap
Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
5) Identity theft
Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
6) Prize scams
Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
Second Test: July 14-18, Trent Bridge, Nottingham, 2pm
Third Test: The Oval, London, July 27-31, 2pm
Fourth Test: Old Trafford, Manchester, August 4-8
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
Brief scores:
Scotland 371-5, 50 overs (C MacLeod 140 no, K Coetzer 58, G Munsey 55)
England 365 all out, 48.5 overs (J Bairstow 105, A Hales 52; M Watt 3-55)
Result: Scotland won by six runs
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
