When the rumor first hit two day ago that Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak would be released from prison by the new administration, many were incredulous: would Egypt truly risk such a vicious slap in the face of US foreign policy which so carefully orchestrated his ouster during the Arab spring of 2011? The answer is yes: moments ago an Egyptian court ordered the release of the deposed president saying there were no legal ground to hold the 85-year-old under allegations of corruption, which as the WSJ reports, ushers in "yet another potential flash point of anger in a country already reeling from unprecedented political violence." Which, by the way, is just what the deficit spending-starved USA wants.
From the WSJ [3]:
An Egyptian court Wednesday ordered the release of former President Hosni Mubarak, ushering in yet another potential flash point of anger in a country already reeling from unprecedented political violence.
A judge in Cairo said there were no legal grounds to hold the 85-year-old former autocrat under allegations of corruption related to gifts he had received from a state publishing house while in office.
Under Egyptian law, prosecutors have 48 hours to challenge the judge's decision. It was unclear Wednesday afternoon whether prosecutors would file a challenge.
The judge's decision comes as opponents of Egypt's new interim government continue their weekslong protests against the military's ouster of Mohammed Morsi , Mr. Mubarak's successor and Egypt's first freely elected president.
The decision introduces yet another point of contention to Egypt's volatile political mix. More than 1,000 people have died in internecine political violence over the past six weeks—the deadliest episode of political change in Egypt's modern history.
Mr. Mubarak's release has the potential to inflame an already organized and disgruntled protest movement.
For many Egyptians, Mr. Mubarak's release will act as a symbol of a resurgent old order.
It will also act as a symbol that Thermidorian reactions are never different , that the countercoup is now complete, and that US foreign policy is in a state of complete and humiliating shambles.