الغردقة - الآن الساعة 10:00 مساء يوم السبت 24 أكتوبر:
أثناء خروجهم من مطعم "ستار فيش" في شارع شيراتون في الغردقة الآن بعد الجولة التي قاموا بها اليوم في الغردقة ومحافظة البحر الأحمر، ومقابلة اعضاء لجنة حزب الغد في الغردقة، تعرض الدكتور أيمن نور ومساعديه لهجوم عنيف على يد بلطجية قاموا بضرب أحمد عبد الجواد المساعد الإعلامي لأيمن نور بالعصي، وحاولوا سرقة الكاميرا والأوراق التي معه، لكن صاحب المطعم أنقذه وأغلق المطعم ومنع البلطجية من الدخول، أعضاء لجنة حزب الغد بالغردقة تعرفوا على بعض المعتدين وقالوا أنهم ينتمون لمجلس الحزب الوطني في المحافظة.
كان الدكتور أيمن نور ومساعديه متجهين إلى المطار لاخذ طائرتهم التي من المفترض أن تغادر إلى القاهرة بعد ساعتين، وقد قاموا بالاتصال بالأمن منذ أكثر من ساعة لكن لم يأتي أحد، واتصل الدكتور أيمن نور بمدير الأمن لكن لم يستجيب أحد، ولم تظهر الشرطة على الإطلاق، سوى في شكل سيارة شرطة سياحية صغيرة عاينت الموقف ثم غادرت دون أن تفعل شيء.
والآن الدكتور أيمن نور ومساعديه محبوسين داخل المطعم والبلطجية يحاصرونه خارجه، ويهتفون "بالروح بالدم نفديك يا مبارك، وتحيا مصر!" وعلى الرغم من ذلك، لم تفعل الشرطة أي شيء لوقف هذه المهزلة.
يقول الدكتور أيمن "هذا تصعيد خطير، ونوع من أنواع الفزع السياسي المبكر من خوضنا الانتخابات الرئاسية" وأضاف نور "الوطني تحالف مع الأمن، في أبشع صور البلطجة والإرهاب تعقيبا على جولتنا أمس في الأقصر."
وقرر الدكتور أيمن نور الاعتصام لحين حضور محافظ البحر الأحمر ووقف هذه المهزلة وفك حصاره هو ومساعديه
تحديث مهم الساعة 11:34 مساءاً: أهالي مدينة الغردقة اجبرو الامن وبلطجية الحزب الوطني علي فك احتجازهم للدكتور ايمن نور ورفاقة وخرجوا في مظاهرة حب شملت 500 مواطن في الشارع، ويأتي ذلك بعد أن تنامي إلي سمع اهالي المدينة بوجود الدكتور أيمن نور واعتصامة داخل المطعم احتجاجاً علي ضرب الزميل احمد عبد الجواد. أيمن نور والوفد المرافق له في طريقهم الآن إلى المطار لاستقلال الطيارة الساعة الواحدة صباحا ربنا يستر وما يوقعوش الطيارة بيهم، و سيقوم مجموعة من النشطاء السياسيين و أهالى باب الشعرية باستقبال الدكتور أيمن نور فى مطار القاهرة.
Hurghada, 10:00 pm, Saturday, October 24th, 2009:
Plainclothes “thugs” reportedly attacked prominent opposition Egyptian leader Ayman Nour on Saturday evening while he and fellow politicians were leaving the Star Fish restaurant on Sheraton Street, in Hurghada, along the Red Sea coast. Nour and his assistants were violently attacked by a dozen plainclothes “thugs,” he said.
According to reports from the Red Sea resort town surrounding the incident, the United States Department of State had been intervening in order to calm the situation. These still unsubstantiated reports from a trusted source said that an official from the Democracy and Human Rights department was making moves to resolve the situation.
However, it appears that an American filmmaker was with Nour at the restaurant, so this could have been the reason the State Department had taken an immediate interest in the safety of an American citizen.
By midnight, a reconciliation agreement had been made between Nour and the police, allowing Nour, his assistant and those traveling back to Cairo to return on the 1 am flight, but the situation had been tense for hours.
Ahmed Abdul Gawad, Nour’s media assistant, was severely beaten and wounded, Nour said on Saturday evening in a telephone conversation detailing what had occurred. Until late on Saturday, Nour and his assistants remained stuck inside the restaurant, which was surrounded by the “thugs” who continued to shout: “Viva Mubarak, Viva Egypt” in an apparent attempt to get the politicians to exit the restaurant.
Nour and his supporters said attackers tried to steal Gawad’s camera and papers, but the owner of the restaurant pulled him inside the restaurant again in order to protect him from the onslaught. Nour and his colleagues had been having dinner with the members of the el-Ghad Party Committee of Hurghada, before they were to go to the airport to take a flight back to Cairo.
They attempted to call the local police and security forces to help them, but nobody showed up. Only a small truck of Tourism Police came to the location of the incident and left after few minutes, without taking any action, Nour said.
Some members of the el-Ghad Party Committee in Hurghada recognized the attackers. They said that they are “security forces aided by some members of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) Council in Hurghada!”
“This is a severe attack and unforgivable escalation,” Nour said. “This sinful coalition between security forces and NDP is the worst form of terrorism. They are punishing us for our tour in Luxor yesterday.”
At 11 pm, Nour and his party remained trapped in the restaurant. Nour stated that he would remain inside until there was a response from the Hurghada General Prosecutor’s office. Obviously, one had come.
Allegedly, supporters of Nour’s were planning to converge on the area in order to “confront” the plainclothes thugs. Nour had attempted to call them off, but before the supporters arrived, a deal had been reached allowing him and his group to leave peacefully.
This comes after local residents, upon hearing the news, came out of their houses to protest what was going on, chanting “we love you, Ayman.”
UPDATE 11:34 pm: Reportedly, up to 500 Hurghada residents turned out in the street in which the restaurant where Nour and his associates were taking cover is located, and demonstrated in support of Nour, outnumbering the assailants, and forcing security to intervene. Security forces have now safely escorted Nour and his associates to the airport, where they are scheduled to depart to Cairo on a flight at 1 am Cairo time. Nour supporters and political activists are gathering at the airport in Cairo to express solidarity with Nour and his associates upon their arrival.
