Egyptian Prosecutor charges 75 People over Port Said Massacre

Egypt’s chief prosecutor has charged 75 people with murder or negligence over a riot which followed a football match.

At least 74 people were killed when rival fans clashed after a game in Port Said between top-tier clubs al-Masry and al-Ahly on 1 February.

Nine police officers are among those facing charges, say reports.

Rumors that the police had failed to intervene sparked days of clashes in the capital, Cairo, in which a further 16 people died.

Port Said’s former security chief, Maj Gen Issam Samak, is one of the officers charged over the deaths.

He was suspended following the riot, which was one of the deadliest in footballing history.

Prosecutors said two minors facing charges would be referred to a children’s court, AFP news agency reported.

The Port Said home team al-Masry won the game 3-1, but as the match ended their fans invaded the pitch, attacking al-Ahly players and fans.

The football league season was cancelled in the wake of the unrest and has not yet restarted.

The BBC’s John Leyne in Cairo says many Egyptians believe the authorities either orchestrated the violence of allowed it to continue because of the al-Ahly fans’ support of the revolution which overthrew Hosni Mubarak last year.

Al-Ahly fans have been calling for those responsible for the deaths to be held to account.