Opposition: 'Mubarak's family has left Egypt'
Friday, January 28, 2011 E-Mail this story Free Headline Alerts
CAIRO — The family of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is said to have fled rising protests in Egypt.
The Egyptian opposition has reported that the wife and children of Mubarak have left Egypt for Europe amid rising unrest. The opposition, in an assertion confirmed by a Western diplomat, said Mubarak's wife, Suzanne, son, Gamal, and granddaughter arrived in London on a private jet as Egypt's defense minister secretly flew to the United States.
"Mubarak's family has left Egypt," an opposition source said. "This marks a new phase in our campaign."
The departure of Mubarak's family took place amid bloody riots by thousands of protesters who appeared to adopt the model in Tunisia. The protesters, organized by the April 6th Movement, hurled firebombs and rocks toward anti-riot forces and attacked police and military vehicles in what was regarded as the bloodiest unrest in Egypt.
"No agitating movement or protests will be allowed," the Egyptian Interior Ministry said on Jan. 26.
Egypt's allies in the Arab world and West have expressed concern over the stability of the Mubarak regime. The 82-year-old Mubarak has not ruled out running again for president in elections scheduled for the fall of 2011.
"In Egypt, I really can't say where this is going to go," former Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki Al Faisal said. "Whether they can catch up as leaders to what the population is aiming [for] is still to be seen."
A Western diplomatic source said Egyptian Defense Minister Hussein Tantawi has arrived in Washington for secret meetings with the administration of President Barack Obama. Egypt receives $1.3 billion in annual U.S. military aid.
"He could be bringing a message from Mubarak or he could be cutting a deal," the diplomatic source said.
Egyptian authorities have sought to quell the protests, also reported in Alexandria, Assiyut, Mahala, Port Said, Suez and Tantan. Opposition sources said authorities blocked both Twitter and Facebook starting on Jan. 25 amid protests attended by 200,000 people. They said Suez, where a government building was torched, has also come under curfew.
Twitter has been carrying messages for Mubarak to resign. So far, the sources said, about 1,000 people have been arrested, many of them by plainclothes officers who infiltrated the demonstrations. Several journalists were said to have been arrested during their coverage of the unrest.