Terrorist attack on Egyptian Protesters

Egyptian protesters poisoned in Tahrir Square
December 15, 2011 – Al Akhbar

At least 120 people have been poisoned during a sit-in at Egypt’s Tahrir Square on Wednesday, medics reported.

Protesters began feeling severe stomach aches and vomiting after eating sandwiches brought to them by unidentified delivery people.

“Yesterday a woman brought food which was poisoned and she distributed it to everyone that was at the sit-in, and everyone ate from the food,” Doctor Amji, preferring not to give her full name, told al-Akhbar.

Amji said only one woman was seen by medics bringing 20 sandwiches, but soon realized that all of the sandwiches brought to the camp were poisoned and delivered by more than one perpetrator.

“From what I understand from the doctors, she brought in 20 sandwiches, then they all ate. After an hour or two, people started coming to the clinic saying they had severe stomach pains, and of course we tried to treat them using first-aid,” she said.

“People were vomiting and then we sent them to hospitals in ambulances,” the doctor said, adding that “120 people were affected.”

The situation stabilized on Thursday and there have been no more reports of poisonings, but activists are on high alert as they persist with a sit-in aimed at toppling Egypt’s military rulers.

Deadly clashes erupted in Tahrir Square last month as tens of thousands of protesters rallied against the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), resulting in the deaths of 42 people with over 2,000 wounded.

Despite holding peaceful parliamentary elections, the SCAF continue to employ questionable methods reminiscent of Hosni Mubarak’s regime.

The SCAF reimposed Egypt’s dreaded emergency laws in September, and still detain activists, bloggers, and journalists before summoning them to military courts.

Many Egyptians believe the military is attempting to consolidate its power, and doubt its commitment to transferring its rule to a civilian government.

Reinforcing activist suspicions of the SCAF’s commitment to democracy, prominent Egyptian blogger Maikel Nabil was sentenced by a military court on Wednesday to two years in jail for “insulting” the military.

Another high profile blogger, Alaa Abdel Fattah, remains detained awaiting his trial in front of a military court, missing the birth of his first child last week. …more