Mubarak verdict brings crowds back to Egypt’s Tahrir Square

Tahrir Square in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, has once again been packed with angry crowds after the verdict in the trial of Hosni Mubarak.

Although the ousted president was sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the deaths of protesters in the uprising that forced him from power, his two sons and several other defendants were cleared of corruption charges.

While the sentencing of Mubarak went far further than many had expected, it was a disappointment to those who wanted the 84-year-old to get the death penalty.

However, the main anger was over the acquittal of Mubarak’s sons, Gamal and Alaa, on corruption charges and the acquittal of senior interior ministry officials on complicity to murder charges.

One man among the crowd of thousands told euronews he believed the timing of the verdict was key so that those who had been cleared would be able to return to power should Ahmed Shafiq, win the presidential election. The man who was prime minister in the dying days of the Mubarak regime faces Muslim Brotherhood hopeful, Mohamed Mursi, in the second round run-off on June 16 and 17.

Dozens of protesters broke into Shafiq’s campaign headquarters and ransacked it.

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