Egyptian Court Considering Whether To Release Mubarak

Release of the former president would not be welcomed by many involved in the 2011 uprising

(Reuters)—A court convened in a Cairo jail on Wednesday to consider a petition for the release of Hosni Mubarak, the deposed leader of a nation gripped by turmoil, seven weeks after the army toppled his elected successor Mohamed Mursi.

At least 900 people, including 100 soldiers and police, have been killed in a crackdown on Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood in the past week, the bloodiest civil unrest in Egypt's modern history.

The United States and the European Union are both reviewing aid to Egypt in light of the bloodshed, but Saudi Arabia, a foe of the Brotherhood, has promised to make up any shortfall.

Security sources said the court had met at Tora prison, where Mubarak is being held, to review a legal petition demanding freedom for the man who ruled for 30 years until he was overthrown as uprisings swept the Arab world in 2011.