MURDER OF THE SIRDAR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19474, 8 May 1925, Page 7

MURDER OF THE SIRDAR

NINE ACCUSED COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. Prat* A«»oci»tion —By Telegraph—Copyright CAIRO, May 6. (Received May 7, at 7.10 p.m.) The nine men "accused of tho murder of the Sirdar were committed for trial! Abdel Fattahcnaiat asked to bo allowed to malic a statement, in which he described bow tho murder of the .Sirdar was carried out. —Renter. The murder of the late Sirdar of Egypt, Sir Leo Stack, was committed on November 21, 1924. He was shot while driving in his motor-car in Cairo. Mahmud Rashid who was arrested some time ago in connection with tho assassination, confessed on Maxell 11 that ho took part in the outrage. Two others of the arrested men in Cairo confessed to complicity in the crime—namely, Abd el Hamid Anayat, of the Student Teachers’ Training College, and In's brother, Abd el Fattah Anayat, who was a student at the Royal School of Raw. On March 17 it was announced that Dr Shafik Mansur, one of the accused, was also implicated in the murder of tho ex-Promicr, Boutros Pasha, at Gnhli, in 1910. Mansur was said to bo showing signs of madness, but the police were of opinion that he was only shamming. The confessions of several of the persons who were arrested in connection with the murder were published on April 21. These showed that after tho negotiations between Mr Ramsay MacDonald and Zaghlul Pasha, had broken down monitors of tho Vengeance Society, who are called “the redeemers,” mot at tho house of Dr Mansur, who was formerly n member of the Chamber of Deputies. A political murder was decided upon at thus meeting, and the Sirdar was chosen as the victim. The confessions disclosed that Mahmud Rashid committed tho murder, assisted by five others. Dr Mansur agreed that a political assassination would help tho independence movement. Ho subsequently declared, however, that the murder was only decided upon in principle at his house. Dr Mansur said he always feared the crime would endanger Egypt. So far 150 persons have been arrested on suspicion. Four of the revolvers actually used in connection with the murder have been found.