Egypt's High State Security prosecution has asked the death penalty for a Hizbullah activist on charges of plotting attacks in the country with the purpose of "overthrowing the regime," according to Sunday press reports. Defendant Mohammed Youssef Mansour, also known as Sami Shihab, was among 49 suspects detained over the past five months and accused of plotting attacks in Egypt on behalf of the Shiite movement.

The pan-Arab daily al Hayat reported Sunday that during a hearing on Saturday Egypt's High State Security prosecution "officially charged Mansour with joining a secret and illegal organization with the aim of overthrowing the regime, endangering public peace and abusing the law." The charge sheet added that the "secret organization used terrorism as a means to achieve its goals," the paper reported. The detainees were also accused of "being in contact with a foreign organization identified as Hizbullah, providing it with censored information without prior authorization, receiving military and financial aid from a foreign party in violation of the law in addition to owning weapons and explosives with the aim of sowing fear among the public and committing crimes listed under the law."

The prosecution said it has completed quizzing Mansour and will complete its investigation with the remaining members of the cell at a later time before filing charges and referring them to trial.

Two other main suspects in the case identified as Nimr Fahmi and Nasser Abu Omar "have confessed to providing information about five Egyptian towns on the border with Egypt to Shihab and another Hizbullah fugitive Mohammed Qabalan," the pan –Arab al Sharq al Awsat said quoting sources.

Meanwhile, Egypt has filed a lawsuit against al Manar demanding the Hizbullah-owned station to "stop using Egyptian broadcasting satellite Nilesat." Nilesat is managed by the Egyptian Company for Broadcasting Satellite, which is controlled by the Interior Ministry.

The lawsuit also criticized Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah for "insulting the government, the president and the people by allowing al Manar to broadcast fabricated news about Egypt."

© 2009 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)