CAIRO: Israeli President Shimon Peres commended Egyptian security services for the capture of the alleged Zeitoun terrorist cell that, according to reports, was planning to assassinate the Israeli ambassador. In an interview with Israeli radio after it was published that they were planning to assassinate ambassador Shalom Cohen, Peres said the position of ambassador to Egypt was a dangerous one, but was integral for the peace process. State Security announced July 9 that 25 Egyptians and one Palestinian had formed a terrorist cell which was responsible for the murder of four Coptic jewelers in the district of Zeitoun in May 2008, and was planning two other attacks, including bombing the Suez Canal. Press reports on Saturday indicated that during the investigations it had come to light that the cell was also targeting the Israeli embassy in Cairo and the ambassador's residence in Maadi. According to Israeli press reports, Cohen's security detail has since been put on high alert. Israeli diplomatic sources told Daily News Egypt they trusted Egyptian security forces and appreciated their "good job on this matter. While Egyptian security forces received the commendation of Israeli officials, lawyers representing two of the defendants, alleged ringleader Mohamed Fahim Hussain and Mustapha Hussain Ahmed Hussain, poured scorn over the belief that their clients could be complicit in the plot and complained that they had not been allowed to see them since their arrest. The MENA news agency quoted anonymous officials that the defendants were being questioned in the presence of their lawyers but the defense team complained that only State Security court-appointed lawyers were allowed to attend the investigations because they would "rubberstamp proceedings. Official questioning of any detainees must be in the presence of their lawyers according to Egyptian law, something that did not happen in this case, the defense team alleged. According to a statement by the Hisham Mubarak law center, 14 people were arrested in two villages in Mansoura on July 2, two of which were named by State Security as part of the Zeitoun cell. By accusing them of the Zeitoun murders State Security Prosecution "was plugging a gap that was causing the Interior Ministry embarrassment due to their inability to locate the perpetrators all this time, the statement read. Despite numerous attempts to locate the detainees, the defense team, which comprises 22 lawyers, has not been able to meet with their clients or be present during the prosecution's investigations, except in one instance by chance. Numerous requests submitted to the Public Prosecutor, State Council, Minister of Interior and the President to locate the whereabouts of the detainees have been ignored.
