Cairo court adjourns Abu-Ismail case for no-show, again

MENA, Ahram Online , Monday 21 Oct 2013

Cairo's criminal court has for the third time adjourned the forgery case of Salafist preacher Hazem Salah Abu-Ismail as police fail to secure his transfer out of prison

Hazem Salah Abu Ismail a Salafist leader
Hazem Salah Abu-Ismail (R), a Salafist leader and presidential candidate, speaks during a campaign rally at Cairo University March 27, 2012. (Photo: Reuters)

Cairo's criminal court has adjourned the case of Salafist preacher Hazem Salah Abu-Ismail to 18 November on charges of forging his mother's nationality in official documents, state news agency MENA reported.

The judge adjourned the case because of Abu-Ismail's absence.

Monday marks the third time that Abu-Ismail does not appear in person in court due to security reasons preventing his transfer from detention in Tora prison to the courtroom.

Abu Ismail was detained early July in the crackdown of the interim authorities on Islamists following the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi on charges of inciting violence that led to the deaths of nine protesters in Giza. 

He was later accused of allegedly forging his mother's nationality in the official papers submitted to the High Electoral Committee in the 2012 presidential elections.

Abu-Ismail, a lawyer and Islamist figure with a wide following, was disqualified from the presidential race after reports that his mother held a US passport.

Egypt's election law bans candidates who, themselves or their parents, carry any nationality other than Egyptian.

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