Brotherhood's secret files (Part 4): Assassination of El-Nokrashy Pasha

Prosecution witnesses

The Public Prosecutor listed in a supplementary memorandum a list of prosecution witnesses in Military Felony Case No. 5 of 1949, Abdeen, known as the case of the killing of El-Nokrashy Pasha, and their statements in the case, beginning with the group of the former Prime Minister’s guards who were accompanying him at the moment of the assassination:

1- Major Abdel Hamid Khairat (40), officer in the Ministries Guard

He testified that he was the aide-de-camp to the late Mahmoud Fahmy El-Nokrashy Pasha, and that he went to his home in the suburb of Heliopolis around 9:20 AM on the day of the incident, about ten minutes before the time set for the prime minister’s departure from his home. At about 9:45 AM, the prime minister got into his car with the witness, while the rest of the guards rode in another car, and when the two cars reached the Ministry of Interior building, the victim got out of his car and entered the lobby of the ministry, and the witness was walking to his left. After about four steps, the witness saw the first defendant, Abdel Meguid Ahmed Hassan, standing in the lobby to the left, wearing the jacket of an officer with the rank of lieutenant, and the victim continued walking towards the elevator. When he was about two meters away from the door, the witness heard the sound of two bullets and saw the second and third witnesses holding the defendant, so he fell to the ground with the pistol in his hand, and he fired the third bullet.

2- Second Lieutenant Habbati Ali Habbati (34), officer in the Ministries Guard

He testified that he and the third witness rode the guard's car behind the car that was carrying Prime Minister El-Nokrashy Pasha, and the two cars arrived at the Ministry of Interior building at about ten in the morning. The victim got out of his car and entered the lobby of the ministry, and on his left was his aide-de-camp and the witness behind them. They passed by the first defendant, who was standing in the lobby wearing his military jacket, and the witness heard the sound of two bullets and saw the previous witness slapping the defendant with his hand, so the witness attacked him and grabbed him with the help of the third witness. The defendant fell on the ground with a pistol in his hand, a third bullet was fired from it.

3- Ahmed Abdullah Shukri (39), first-degree constable in the Ministries Guard

He testified that when he arrived in the guard's car to the Ministry of Interior, he entered behind the victim in the lobby of the ministry and saw the first defendant in his military jacket standing to the left. Then he heard the sound of two bullets and saw Major Abdel Hamid Khairat pushing the defendant with his hand, so he attacked him along with the previous witness. The defendant fell on the ground with the gun in his hand and then fired a third bullet from it.

4- Gamal Fahmy Al-Kashef (29), constable in the Ministries Guard

He testified that when Prime Minister El-Nokrashy Pasha arrived at the Ministry of Interior building, he walked in front of him in the lobby, heading to the elevator, and he saw the first defendant standing to the left in his military jacket. When the witness reached the elevator and opened its door, he heard three gunshots and turned back and saw the victim fall and the second and third witnesses holding the defendant, who fell to the ground.

5- Abdel Hamid Nassar (42), corporal in the Ministries Guard

He testified that he saw the first defendant standing in the lobby of the ministry in his military jacket before the arrival of the victim, the prime minister. When he entered and walked in the hall heading to the elevator, he heard the sound of gunshots and saw the victim lying on the ground, and he saw the defendant fall while the second, third and fourth witnesses grabbed him.

6- Captain Mustafa Alwani Karim (33), officer in the Criminal Investigation Department at the Ministry of Interior

He testified that he was in the ministry when Prime Minister El-Nokrashy Pasha came, and he saw him walking in the lobby heading to the elevator when he saw the first defendant in his military jacket shooting at prime minister from behind.

7- Mohamed Al-Bahi Sharaf (41), warrant officer in the Criminal Investigation Department at the Ministry of Interior

He testified that he saw the victim, the prime minister, entering the lobby of the ministry with the guards. He also saw the first defendant firing his pistol at the prime minister from behind, and he fell to the ground.

Three civilian witnesses

Then the memorandum listed a number of other witnesses for the prosecution, who are, in order: the pants tailor Mohamed Saeed, the European tailor Mustafa El-Menoufi, and the pastry maker Mohamed Diab.

1- Mohamed Hussein Ahmed, aka Mohamed Saeed Hussein (39), pants tailor, resides at No. 26 Bab Al-Wazir Street, Darb Al-Ahmar

He testified that prior to the killing of El-Nokrashy Pasha, the sixth defendant, Abdul Aziz Ahmed Al-Baqli, handed him a piece of black wool cloth detailed as trousers and asked him to sew it quickly, so he completed it on Sunday and handed it to him. He recognized the uniform pants that the first defendant was wearing when shown along with other pants, and he admitted that he wrote his measurements in pencil on the inner pocket, and the measurements were found written with that pencil on this pocket.

2- Mustafa Abdel Moneim Mohamed El-Menoufi (16), European tailor, resides at No.5 Haret Al-Rahma in Qal’at al-Kabsh, Sayyida Zeinab

He testified that he participated with the fifth defendant, Abdul Aziz Ahmed Al-Baqli, in sewing the military jacket that the first defendant was wearing, and that before the arrival of its owner to take his measurements, he came to the shop of the fifth defendant, who was employed by the fourth defendant, Kamal Sayed Sayed Al-Kazzaz, so the fifth defendant left after that and returned shortly after with the owner of the jacket, and that was on Saturday. The next day, the fifth defendant came out with his jacket and returned with it after about two hours after the rehearsal, and the jacket was made and delivered the same day.

3- Mohamed Ahmed Diab (50), pastry maker, resides at No. 25 Ali Younes Street, Shubra

He testified that in mid-December 1948 he rented out a residence on the first floor of his house (No. 25 Ali Younes Street in Shubra) to two people who said they were students at the university. He recognized the third defendant, Atef Attiya Helmy, when he was shown to him among others, and he said that he was one of those whom he saw visiting this residence.

Jeep seizures

In his memorandum, Attorney General Mahmoud Mansour mentioned the roles of the defendants in the jeep case. On November 15, 1948, a jeep was seized in the direction of El-Weili, and found in it were a mine and large quantities of explosive materials of different types, ignition fuse coils, a STEN gun, three STEN gun magazines, 27 pistols of different types, four daggers, a large number of bullets, detonators, six time clocks and a black mask.

Also found were many copies of notes about the criminal law printed on a gestetner machine and three pamphlets, similar in their subject matter, that included questions and answers in law, jurisprudence, spiritual lessons, guerrilla warfare, the use of weapons and explosives, how to answer in the event of arrest and explain the connection of those arrested with the documents found with him. The report of two calligraphy experts revealed that one of these pamphlets was written in the handwriting of the first defendant, Abdel Meguid Ahmed Hassan, and that the second and third handwritings were in the handwriting of Ahmad Adel Kamal and Taher Emad El-Din, the defendants in Military Felony Case No. 227 in 1948 El-Weili. The first defendant admitted that the first pamphlet was in his handwriting and that the notes seized in the car were the ones he studied and took the exam with.

Handwritten papers titled “The Formation Law” were also found, which included data on how to form and organize the terrorist group on the cell system of a commanding body, staff and soldiers that make up an army, and the duties of each team, as well as how to organize forces and choose soldiers, and the conditions that must be met by them. The Formation Law states that there are types of soldiers who should be far from outward activity, and that this type is trained with complete care and is used only in times of open war, and there is also a type of soldier that must be cut off completely and can be assigned to more extensive studies and more dangerous work.

The Formation Law also dealt with an explanation of how to nominate members of the army and send nomination papers to the higher command, accompanied by a comprehensive report containing a statement on the candidate’s health, social and cultural status, prominent temperaments, and partisan tendencies, and that the candidate knows the reason for this and that it is sufficient to be inclined to any other party to reject the nomination outright, as the candidate must fully believe in the validity of the invitation as a principle. Then the Supreme Leadership Council decides in light of these data to accept or reject the nomination, as the law stipulates how to form and prepare the individual after acceptance or rejection of candidacy. The law also stipulates how to form and prepare an individual after accepting his candidacy, so he is known by his emir, i.e. the head of his cell, and the latter performs his role with him in a spiritual session, giving him complete secrecy, introducing him to the type of work, talking about its legitimacy, increasing the evidence he has if he is convinced of its legitimacy and convincing him if he is not convinced, increasing the recommendations of secrecy, obedience, silence, and instructions on adapting matters, covering situations, escaping from getting involved, studying test equipment, and preparing the mind for the possibility of him doing a job soon, and recommending him to be stable while performing the work and to be natural when carrying something or doing something, taking care to prepare reasonable answers to all expected questions, and assigning him to write a will and then testing him with a silent assignment (carrying equipment on the road) while observing him and talking to him afterwards about what he felt in the previous situation, then presenting the plan, convincing him of it, handing over the equipment for use, then carrying out the test and observing him until before the appointment, then canceling the implementation.

Accompanying the Formation Law were found papers on the trusts of the pledge of allegiance from piety, obedience and submission to the leadership and to the leaders of the groups, as well as papers on the internal regulations, which included a statement of the duties of the members of the group, the rights of their leaders, the investigation of the negligent, and the right of the leader of the group to impose moral and material penalties such as fasting, increasing queues and walking long distances, and that if the error was justified and negligence had an important impact, a court would be formed of the rest of the members and their emir to conduct the investigation in his presence.

All papers of the jeep by Mahmoud Al-Sabbagh

The report of the calligraphy experts revealed that all these papers were written in the handwriting of Mahmoud El-Sayed Khalil Al-Sabbagh, the defendant in Felony Military Case No. 227 of 1948 El-Weili. Also found in the vehicle were printed papers of the Formation Law, the allegiance and the general regulations, including the advanced regulations with the addition that if the test is successful, the person submits the pledge of allegiance in Cairo, and in case of failure he will join a family or similar public works, and that No. 1 recommends individuals the right to obey their emir after the pledge of allegiance and that if the matter is dangerous, the leadership will notify him to act through its owner to execute him or release the group from him, regardless of his rank, and no matter how fortified by means, and hold fast to the reasons he sees that will guarantee his life, and that no one, regardless of his position in the group, has the right to raise the matter to the leadership except through No. 1, as it was stated in it that the investigation with negligent people is through investigative councils formed, according to the circumstances, from the emir of the group, the delegate of the regions, the director of the regions, the delegate of Cairo in the regions and the director of Cairo, and that any betrayal or revealing a secret with good intentions or bad faith may expose its owner to death.