Summary Judicial officials say there were no longer any grounds to hold the 85-year-old Hosni Mubarak.
CAIRO (AP) - Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who is on retrial for the killings of hundreds of protesters during the 2011 uprising that led to his ouster, could be released from custody later this week, judicial officials said Monday.
The officials said there were no longer any grounds to hold the 85-year-old former autocrat because of the expiration of a two-year legal limit for holding an individual in custody pending a final verdict.
Mubarak has been in detention since April 2011. He was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison in June last year for his failure to stop the killing of some 900 protesters in the 18-day uprising against his rule. His sentence was overturned on appeal and he is now being retried, along with his security chief and six top police commanders.
Monday s stunning announcement came as Islamic militants ambushed two mini-buses carrying off-duty policemen in Egypt s Sinai Peninsula, forces the men out of the vehicles and made them lie on the ground, then shot 25 of them dead.
The judiciary officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media, said a court on Monday ordered Mubarak s release in a corruption case that alleged he and his two sons embezzled funds for presidential palaces. His sons will remain in custody because they face other cases against them.
Monday s order, along with the fact that Mubarak had previously been ordered released in two other cases against him the killing of the protesters and a case related to illegal earnings opened the possibility of freedom for the former president.
Mubarak is also facing trial for alleged acceptance of presents from state newspapers but has already repaid their value. His defense team has submitted a petition for his release in connection with the presents and a ruling is expected later this week.
Along with the state of emergency imposed after Wednesday s crackdown on the pro-Morsi sit-ins in Cairo and ensuing street clashes across the country, the military-backed interim government has also begun taking harsher measures to cripple the Brotherhood.
Security forces arrested hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood members early Sunday in raids on their homes in different cities, aimed at disrupting planned rallies to support Morsi. The Cabinet also held an emergency meeting to consider banning the group.
A possible ban which authorities say would be implemented over the group s use of violence would be a repeat of the decades-long struggle between the state and the Brotherhood. It also would drain the group s financial resources and allow for mass arrests of its members. That likely would diminish the chances of a negotiated solution to the crisis and push the group again underground.
The Brotherhood has shown no signs of backing down though.
Under the banner of an anti-coup alliance, the group held protests Sunday, though many appeared smaller in scale than others held in recent days. In the coastal city of Alexandria, protesters clashed with residents. In the southern city of Assiut, security forces fired tear gas to disperse hundreds rallying in front of a mosque.
"They think they can end the movement," said Muslim Brotherhood senior member Saad Emara. "The more killings, the more people join us."
However, the government blames Islamists for series of attacks on churches and police stations, increasing public anger against the group.
In his first public appearance since last Wednesday, el-Sissi spoke at length in an hour-long speech Sunday about the motives behind ousting Morsi. The general said the Islamist president exploited democracy to monopolize power. He again said the military s action "protected Egyptians from civil war," despite the ongoing violence on the streets.
"We will not stand by silently watching the destruction of the country and the people or the torching the nation and terrorizing the citizens," el-Sissi said in a speech aired on state television. "I am not threatening anyone ... If the goal is to destroy the country and the people, no!"
Morsi is also currently in custody, held incommunicado at an undisclosed location since his July 3 ouster.
