CAIRD CONSPIRACY TRIAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18458, 23 July 1923, Page 7

CAIRD CONSPIRACY TRIAL

UNMASKED MURDER PLOT. TWELVE FOUND GUILTY. FIVE SENTENCED TO DEATH. •-.'■'. " : '■■ '■ ■■■■■■ : '■;■':■■. •'■ : - ■ r •) By Teleeraph—Press Association— Copyright. A. and N.Z. v LONDON. July. 20. The trial of 15 Egyptian conspirators arising. out of bomb. outrages, which commenced in March, has been- concluded. Five of the accused, including Nazir, were sentenced to death, and seven others to terms of imprisonment varying from three years to life. EGYPTIAN "BLACK HA25rD.»' AMAZING MURDER SOCIETY. ■ The 15 Egyptians were accused of conspiracy to murder British soldiery British officials, and persons who gave evidence before the British military courts, or who gave information of offences against martial law, and also of organising bands of assassins and collecting deadly weapons and distributing seditious literature. . . • ; The prosecutor said that the story went back to the spring of 1919, when » young Egyptian, 18 years old, iitet '. a sheikh, who suggested to the youth that he should join a "gang for murdering Englishmen. The youth agreed, and asked a friend named; Nazir, one of the accused men, to join the gang, and they both joined. About the same time Nazir,_ itis said, approached an Egyptian detective and asked him to join. A little later, a • man named Mohaured Amin ■, was induced to join, and it was then discovered that the sheikh who, made the proposal to the first youth was . co-operating with Abdel. Rahmin Bey Fahmy. who was. convicted in the Vengeance Society case in 19? d and condemned to a long term of imprisonment. Nazir find Mohamed Amin and their friend got in touch with' him. On May 8. 1919, a bomb was thrown at Darwish Pasha, and a few hours later Mohamed Amin was found j with wounds on fefe hand and arm, and also jents in his olothine. apparently made by an explosive.; The course of events, said the prosecutor, was then lost until the Ven>pance case in 1920. when .the .Sheikh Shafel el Banna and . Mohammed Amin and the first-mentioned youth offered evidence against the prisoners. "When they oame to court they denied they knew anythin?, and were detained in prison. In October. 1920. thev were ill and sent to hosnital, 1 and while in hospital thev hoard that four sheikhs beloiennir . to Al Azhar had eiven evidence against the prisoners. They thereupon, said the Prosecntbr.. swore vengeance, arid on November 13 -19 9 0;. being reused, thev attempted to poison them. - On the same day Lieutenant KniVht was shot,." and the crime nrmpared in the cbaTce against Mohamed Amin and Rhafei el, B«nna.' v Dunne- ; 109-1- thf organisation • now known as the "Blir>Tr Find." "Wank Star." and tho -.'.'■. Blank Revolvpr £^hietv, " prooooded to aHemnt to fer-mit members. On FnVirvary 17. ■Tf?wr-,'i stated .to a. person, who was called bv the prosecution, that an aftpmpt against an TptrlMiman would he made on the fnllowincr dav. On Thft next day Nazir. accompanied bv another witness and bv one of the prisoners named Wnccnn Tewfik. went to a spot near tin* Wrnqtrv of Kf'n^tioTi,, and ~a. v,fow minutes lator Mr. Aldred Brown was kill o ' hv a ■ revolver phot.. • N»wr later- boasted tTiof, "ha and Tp.wfiV shot "MY Brown. A fortniflrht !sf«r r Mr. t: Mcintosh; of the FrrvntJaTj State Railways, >: received a tnyootenine letter, ordering him to resien within a week. Later Nazir,"■;' stated to a witness that a high railway official was to ho shot. . '" •- ' *''• - v

Th« pane next planned the murder of Mr. Caver A « d pi-son ". then Omental \ Spore tarv at the Fesidetir.v. Immediately'afterwards a branch of the sne-ietv Vps formed at • Ascioufc. and it van - claimed that /nlnns I ■fipd Kaen m»i'i for the ToiTrderiof <h'n "Rev. pf-Direotor-Genefal ; of Public SertTJ*st,y. The plan, however, at the time fell - through. ,' ' ■- ■■ '• ' " - 0* Awil 16. : ':.1fl??: Tfaar and' Hassan Tpwflt. sfiot two British, corporals, ■ Better and Townpend. near, Cairo.?'main railwav pfot.inri. ■ '■'.. On the ■mo'mihtro Ui-M«v 9A. 1009 Jsj-awV : stated 'that' »-■ Fyiplish •tvilira: officer ; •wo"1(3 The ; killed, ; and hist. M nr fi two crclofV. that "'•noon B'WTlnohi Cave was fm«r3,«»rpdy-i:,:Lftf,eV::m?4he. nftemoon T Tfosi'r ; boasted thai: ; he-: committed the crime.