11 June 2026
The Cairo Criminal Court (Second Terrorism Circuit) adjourned the trial of Hamdi Mokhtar Ali Mohamed and Alaa Mansour Seif al‑Nasr Mahmoud, in case No. 955 of 2020 (Supreme State Security), to 27 September 2026 to hear the prosecution’s pleadings.
Photojournalist Hamdi Mokhtar, aged 46, was arrested at his home on 4 January 2021, while pastry chef Alaa Mansour, aged 38, was arrested on 12 September 2020. Both face charges of joining a terrorist organization, broadcasting false news and statements, and using an online account to disseminate such news. They remained in pretrial detention for four years before being referred to a criminal trial.
25 March 2026
The Cairo Criminal Court (Second Circuit Terrorism) decided to adjourn the trial session of both photojournalist Hamdy Mokhtar Ali Mohamed and Alaa Mansour Seif Al-Nasr Mahmoud, who works as a confectioner, in lawsuit No. 955 of 2020 (Supreme State Security) to June 21, due to the defendants’ inability to attend from their prison.
It is worth noting that during the previous session, a prosecution witness in the case was present, and the defendants’ defense asked him several questions. However, the court interrupted the defense and limited the questioning to the questions it had posed to the witness. The defense objected to the Court’s decision and recorded in the session minutes that they had numerous additional questions that had not been raised during the investigations conducted by the Supreme State Security Prosecution, and that the answers to these questions could have altered the course of the lawsuit, thereby undermining the guarantees of a fair trial.
It is further noted that photojournalist Hamdy Mokhtar, 45 years old, was arrested on 4 January 2021 from his home and remained in unlawful detention at an unknown location to his family and lawyer, until he was brought before the Supreme State Security Prosecution on 16 January 2021, where investigations were conducted with him. He was charged with joining a terrorist organization, broadcasting false news and statements, and using an online account to publish such news. He denied all the charges, and a decision was issued to remand him in custody for fifteen days, with his detention subsequently renewed for nearly four years until his referral to trial.
Defendant Alaa Mansour, 37 years old, was also arrested on 12 September 2020 from his workplace in Beheira Governorate and remained in unlawful detention at an unknown location to his family until he was brought before the Supreme State Security Prosecution on 15 October 2020. He faced the same charges and was remanded in custody for fifteen days, with his detention later renewed for more than four years until his referral to trial.
30 December 2025
The Cairo Criminal Court (Second Circuit Terrorism) decided to adjourn the trial session of both photojournalist Hamdy Mokhtar Ali Mohamed, and defendant Alaa Mansour Seif Al-Nasr Mahmoud, who works as a confectioner, in order to continue hearing and questioning the prosecution witnesses in the Case No. 955 of 2020 (Supreme State Security), to the session scheduled for 25 March 2026.
The two defendants are being tried while held in pretrial detention in connection with Case No. 955 of 2020 (Supreme State Security). The first trial session was held on 26 October 2025, during which the referral order was read out; the defendants denied the charges brought against them, while the defense requested an adjournment to review the case file and hear the prosecution witness.
It is worth noting that on 1 January 2025, the Supreme State Security Prosecution decided to refer the defendants to trial before the Criminal Court on charges of joining a terrorist organization with knowledge of its purposes, and participating in a criminal agreement with the aim of committing a terrorist crime.
It is further noted that photojournalist Hamdy Mokhtar, 45 years old, was arrested on 4 January 2021 from his home and remained in unlawful detention at an unknown location to his family and lawyer until he was brought before the Supreme State Security Prosecution on 16 January 2021, where investigations were conducted with him. He was charged with joining a terrorist organization, broadcasting false news and statements, and using an online account to publish such news. He denied all the charges, and a decision was issued to remand him in custody for fifteen days, with his detention subsequently renewed for nearly four years until his referral to trial.
Defendant Alaa Mansour, 37 years old, was also arrested on 12 September 2020 from his workplace in Beheira Governorate and remained in unlawful detention at an unknown location to his family until he was brought before the Supreme State Security Prosecution on 15 October 2020. He faced the same charges and was remanded in custody for fifteen days, with his detention later renewed for more than four years until his referral to trial.
