Reuters AlertNet Lite - Tunisia court postpones coup bid trial to Dec. 15

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Tunisia court postpones coup bid trial to Dec. 15

01 Dec 2007 15:36:39 GMT
Source: Reuters

TUNIS, Dec 1 (Reuters) - A Tunisian court on Saturday put off until Dec. 15 the trial of a group of Islamists accused of attempting a coup d'etat, a case that has attracted wide attention in north Africa.

Prosecutors say the 30 men clashed with police in December 2006 and January 2007 in incidents that raised fears in the region that a loose network of militants was stepping up attempts to topple governments in the Maghreb.

A total of 14 gunmen were killed in the clashes in and around Tunis.

"The trial is postponed to Dec. 15 as lawyers asked for enough time to study the files," judge Mehrez Hamami said.

Earlier, the trial descended into chaos when one of the defendants protested loudly that police had prevented his father and sister from attending the hearing.

"My father and my sister are outside and they could not enter. Allah is the Greater," he shouted.

Some relatives began weeping and shouting when the judge ordered the defendant to leave the courtroom. The defendant's name could not be immediately obtained.

Defence lawyers complained families had been barred from attending the trial.

The defendants are charged with attempting to overthrow the government, disturbing public order and belonging to a terrorist group.

Defence lawyer Samir Ben Amor told Reuters earlier the 30 belonged to the Assad Ibn Fourat Soldiers, an Islamist group he said had nothing to do with al Qaeda. (Reporting by Sonia Ounissi; editing by Giles Elgood)

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Last updated:Sat Dec 1 15:35:35 2007