Testimony of Egypt Military Ruler at Mubarak Trial Postponed

The testimony of Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, Egypt's military ruler, as a witness at the trial of former president Hosni Mubarak has been postponed to September 24, judicial sources said Sunday.

Tantawi, who is the de facto head of state since the fall of Mubarak to a popular uprising in February, faced a last minute difficulty which made him unavailable to testify as scheduled on Sunday, the sources said.

Tantawi is one of the highest profile witnesses called to testify at Mubarak's trial, which has grabbed widespread regional attention.

The sources said that following the postponing of Tantawi's testimony, the testimony of the chief of the general staff, Sami Anan, has been postponed to September 25. It had been scheduled for Monday.

Trial judge Ahmed Refaat, at a September 7 hearing, ordered that the two senior military officials testify behind closed doors for reasons of "national security."

Earlier television footage of the first two sessions of the trial which opened August 3 showed the ailing 83-year-old Mubarak, who faces charges of involvement in the killings of protesters and corruption, lying on a stretcher and in a cage in the courtroom.

The charges against Mubarak, who has pleaded not guilty, follow months of protests demanding justice for the roughly 850 people killed during the revolt which ended his regime.

The trial is being held in a police academy once named after Mubarak on Cairo's outskirts.