Caged Mubarak pleads ‘not guilty’ in first Cairo hearing

CAIRO - From the inside of a black cage, former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak has denied charges of involvement in the killing of many protesters who demanded his ouster.
An ailing Mubarak was wheeled into a Cairo courtroom for the first hearing of his public prosecution over both political and criminal accusations.
He was lying down on a bed accompanied by the former minister of interior Habib al-Adeli and his two sons Gamal and Alaa, among six more of his accomplices involved in the killing of civilians.
The ousted president arrived amid tightened security. He was flown in escorted by doctors and security guards aboard a presidential plane.
Meanwhile, a health board had confirmed that Mubarak’s health was relatively stable and he would be able to stand trial that day.
Heavy presence of security elements was observed in the courtroom in order to ensure that the hearing would take place amid a calm. Elements from the police and army ascended to the tops of nearby towers to track any strange movements that might occur during or after the hearing.
Mubarak faces the death penalty if convicted of corruption and the murder of civilian protesters.