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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Egypt issues arrest warrants over anti-Islam film | Egypt issues arrest warrants over anti-Islam film |
| (7 months later) | |
| Egypt's public prosecutor has issued arrest warrants for seven Egyptian Coptic Christians and a US pastor in connection with the anti-Islam film that has stirred protests across the Muslim world. | Egypt's public prosecutor has issued arrest warrants for seven Egyptian Coptic Christians and a US pastor in connection with the anti-Islam film that has stirred protests across the Muslim world. |
| The case has been filed by the emergency state security court in Cairo. Since the accused are not believed to live in Egypt and probably hold US citizenship, it is seen as a public relations exercise to absorb domestic anger over the film. | The case has been filed by the emergency state security court in Cairo. Since the accused are not believed to live in Egypt and probably hold US citizenship, it is seen as a public relations exercise to absorb domestic anger over the film. |
| Among the accused is the Florida-based pastor Terry Jones, who allegedly was contacted by the makers of Innocence of Muslims and asked to help promote the film. Jones rose to notoriety in 2010 when he backed down from a planned Qur'an burning after pressure from US defence officials who said it would endanger troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. | Among the accused is the Florida-based pastor Terry Jones, who allegedly was contacted by the makers of Innocence of Muslims and asked to help promote the film. Jones rose to notoriety in 2010 when he backed down from a planned Qur'an burning after pressure from US defence officials who said it would endanger troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. |
| The Egyptian prosecutor's office said the accused, including the alleged producer of the film, would face charges of harming national unity, insulting and publicly attacking Islam and spreading false information. It said they could face the death penalty if convicted. No date for the trial has been set. | The Egyptian prosecutor's office said the accused, including the alleged producer of the film, would face charges of harming national unity, insulting and publicly attacking Islam and spreading false information. It said they could face the death penalty if convicted. No date for the trial has been set. |
| Mamdouh Ismail, an ultra-conservative Salafi lawyer, praised the decision and said referring the case to trial would help curb public anger. "Now these are legal measures instead of angry reactions whose consequences are undetermined," he said. | Mamdouh Ismail, an ultra-conservative Salafi lawyer, praised the decision and said referring the case to trial would help curb public anger. "Now these are legal measures instead of angry reactions whose consequences are undetermined," he said. |
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