Egypt postpones verdict in Turkey, Qatar ‘terror’ case

CAIRO – Anadolu Agency

Ultras Rabawi, young members of the Muslim Brotherhood, take part in a protest against what they call the military regime in Egypt, calling on others to join them in a protest the following week, Friday, Aug. 7, 2015 in the El-Mataria district of Cairo. AP Photo

An Egyptian court postponed Sept. 6 its verdicts in two lawsuits calling on the government to designate Turkey and Qatar as “state sponsors of terrorism” until Sept. 28, according to a judicial source.

The lawsuits were filed by Egyptian lawyer Samir Sabri, who has filed a series of lawsuits against the Muslim Brotherhood --the group which ousted and imprisoned President Mohamed Morsi hails from-- and Qatar’s Al Jazeera news channel.

The lawsuits accuse Ankara and Doha of providing a safe haven for “terrorists” --a reference to Brotherhood leaders who have fled an ongoing crackdown in Egypt-- and of refusing to extradite them to Egypt.

It was the third time for the court postponing its verdict in the case, with its first postponement in May and then again in July.

Egypt’s relations with both Turkey and Qatar have soured dramatically since mid-2013, when the army ousted and imprisoned Morsi, Egypt’s first freely elected leader, after he served only one year in office.