Egypt charges Muslim Brotherhood, Ultras over football violence deaths
Most of the dead were suffocated when the crowd stampeded after police used tear gas
Egypt’s public prosecutor said on Tuesday 16 people, including members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, were charged with killing and inciting violence in connection with the deaths of 19 soccer fans who clashed with security forces last month.
The Brotherhood supporters and members of a fan group known as the Ultras were charged with carrying out the violence outside a stadium in order to create an image of instability before an investment summit held in Sharm el-Sheikh at the weekend.
Most of the dead were suffocated when the crowd stampeded after police used tear gas to clear the fans trying to force their way into a league match between two Cairo clubs, Zamalek and Enppi, doctors and witnesses said.
Soccer matches are often a flashpoint for violence in Egypt where 72 fans were killed at a match in Port Said in February 2012. Since then Egypt has curbed the number of people allowed to attend, and supporters have often tried to storm stadiums they are banned from entering.
