A remarkably well-preserved fighter plane that crashed in the Sahara Desert during World War II has been found 70 years later, shedding new light on the pilot's struggle to survive.

The American-made Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk was discovered by a Polish oil worker, Jakub Perka, who was exploring the desert in Egypt, The Telegraph newspaper reported. It was about 200 miles from the nearest town.

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It is believed that the pilot, Dennis Copping, 24, ran into trouble while flying in 1942 but still managed to land the plane on the sands, the paper said.

Military historian Andy Saunders said that the British flight sergeant "must have survived the crash" because a photograph of the plane showed a parachute had been put up on the side of the plane, apparently as a form of shelter, The Telegraph reported.

"The radio and batteries were out of the plane, and it looks like he tried to get it working. If he died at the side of the plane, his remains would have been found," Saunders added. "Once he had crashed there, nobody was going to come and get him. It is more likely he tried to walk out of the desert but ended up walking to his death. It is too hideous to contemplate."

He said the discovery was "the aviation equivalent of Tutankhamun's tomb."

Air enthusiasts excited
The Vintage Wings of Canada website speculated that the plane had a mechanical problem, ran out of fuel or that the pilot simply got lost.

The website said there seemed to be a growing consensus that the plane's serial number was ET 574, based on what could be made out from photographs. If this is confirmed, the website said it was possible that Canadian flying ace James "Stocky" Edwards had previously flown the fighter.

Journalist sacked for defying censors to report German WWII surrender gets apology

"To say we, at Vintage Wings, are excited by this find is an understatement," the website said.

It expressed concern the plane had been "seriously vandalized -- a travesty the whole aviation world seems unable to stop."

Parades commemorate Soviet victory in World War II

Michael Creane of the Royal Air Force Museum in London, U.K., told NBC News that it was "incredible" the plane had not been submerged by the shifting sands of the desert.

He said the museum was "hell-bent" on bringing the aircraft to the facility, although he said there were "lots of hoops to jump through."

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CAIRO -- People died to make Egypt’s first-ever presidential debate happen on Thursday, and Said Ibrahim kept the victims of the country's revolution in mind as he watched them on TV.

“We are very happy to watch this, but it was the young people of the revolution who made it happen. People paid with their lives to make this possible," the 44-year-old chef said. "In the end, I hope whoever wins will be the best.”

Reveling in their first chance to hear their presidential candidates go head to head, viewers gathered in living rooms and cafes across Egypt to watch the debate between the two presidential frontrunners. Amr Moussa, former head of the Arab League and former foreign minister, faced off against Abdul Moneim Abol Fotoh, a moderate Islamist and former Muslim Brotherhood member.

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They fielded tough questions from two anchors in a tightly structured debate seen on three private satellite stations. The candidates also had the chance to challenge each other with pointed questions about Islamic religious law, links to the old regime and fiscal policy. The spectacle of politicians being questioned in public was riveting. “It’s the birth of democracy in Egypt,” smiled Arafa Abu Al Fadel, a 36-year-old production manager at Egyptian state TV. “We have seen this in France or Europe. It gives us a chance to see the candidates, it gives us a chance to choose … I am now confused, but that is a good thing!”

Al Fadel's friend Ahmed Rifai, a 29-year-old production manager, was equally enthusiastic. “This is a new way. It’s an American type of debate. From the time of the pharaohs, we have had leaders imposed on us. Now we get to choose between many candidates. It is the first time we experience democracy. Even if we don’t make the best choice and are confused, it is the first step toward democracy.”

Poll: Most Egyptians think US aid billions have 'negative effect'

Who won the debate? According to a very small straw poll in a sidewalk café a stone’s throw from iconic Tahrir Square, Amr Moussa was the hand’s down favorite.

“I like Amr Moussa,” said hairdresser Abdel Hamid Mohamed, age 52. “He appealed to me because of the way he spoke and answered.  He is experienced and older and has more knowledge of foreign affairs.”

Watch World News videos on msnbc.com

Ahmed Rifai agreed. “Amr Moussa has more political experience and background. His way of speaking is more diplomatic.”

Arafa Al Fadel was more circumspect. “I was leaning toward Amr Moussa because of his previous experience. I never had a chance to see Abol Fotoh before. Maybe he will fulfill his promises.” 

Although Said Ibrahim was impressed by both contenders’ debate styles, he continued to lean toward Amr Moussa.  “Because he has political experience, I think his four years will be good and that he will be just. Yes, he participated in the old regime, but we know what his opinions were during that old regime.”  

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The United States has given billions of dollars to Egypt in recent decades, but research published Tuesday by a major think tank suggests most Egyptians think American aid is having a "negative effect."

A poll by the Washington-based Pew Research Center also reveals growing Islamic sentiment among Egyptians since the Arab Spring, with 66 percent thinking Islam plays a major role in the country’s political life compared to 47 percent in 2010.

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Six in 10 want to see Islamic law strictly enforced, compared to just six percent who feel it should have no influence.

The poll comes after local media and the country’s parliament heavily criticized U.S.-run non-governmental organizations, which are accused of meddling in Egypt’s affairs. Many Egyptians were incensed when U.S. citizens under investigation - including Sam LaHood, son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood - were allowed to leave the country.

Muslim Brotherhood shocks Egypt with presidential run

There was also widespread anger that the U.S. withheld support for opponents of Hosni Mubarak’s regime until it became apparent the ruler would fall.

Cairo receives $1.3 billion annually from the U.S. government in military aid, according to the State Department. However, the Pew poll shows six in 10 Egyptians think it has a negative effect – a figure that may prompt calls in the U.S. for aid to be cut.

Only one in five Egyptians have a positive attitude toward the United States, and less than one third expressed confidence in President Obama. Among young Egyptians, Obama’s popularity decreased by half in the past year.

Dr. Gamal Abdul Gawad, professor of political science at the American University in Cairo, told msnbc.com that Egyptians are disappointed in Obama.

"They had high hopes but feel that he did not deliver," he said. "They liked the position he took after his election toward the Middle East but did not see any follow up."

The results might disappoint those who hoped Egypt would follow in the path of Turkey, whose moderate Islamic government is making overtures to the West in its bid to join the European Union. Sixty-one percent of Egyptians told Pew they would prefer to follow the fundamentalist Saudi Arabian model of government.  

"Egyptians feel that the world has left them alone during the hard time after the revolution," Gawad said. "The U.S. made lots of promises but did not deliver, which further intensified the negative feelings people already had toward the U.S."

Egypt lifts ban on American activists from leaving country -- if they post bail

There is also bad news for Egypt’s immediate neighbors: most Egyptians favor overturning the 1979 peace treaty in which Egypt became the first Arab country to formally recognize Israel.

Roughly six in 10 want to annul the treaty, up from last year's 54 percent. Opposition to the treaty significantly rose over the last year among young people and the highly educated, Pew said.

The Pew report is based on a survey of 1,000 Egyptian adults, conducted between March 19 and April 10, 2012.

Msnbc.com's Alastair Jamieson contributed to this report.

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Protesters threw rocks at troops guarding Egypt's defense ministry on Friday as thousands marched in Cairo to denounce violence against demonstrators and the exclusion of candidates from the presidential election.

The crowd hurled projectiles and insults at the soldiers sent to defend the ministry after 11 people were killed in clashes there on Wednesday, and called for the overthrow of the head of the ruling army council, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi.

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The army fired back with water cannons then teargas and riot police surged towards the crowd with batons. Scores of wounded protesters were taken away on motorcycles and dozens of soldiers were injured.

"O Tantawi, good morning, this is your last day," shouted the crowd, and "field marshal leave, the people are dangerous."

The street violence comes less than three weeks before an election that represents the first chance for Egyptians to freely choose their leader. A successful vote would mark the most important step in a messy transition to democracy since the overthrow of autocratic leader Hosni Mubarak 15 months ago.

Last-minute changes to the line-up of contenders, bickering over a new constitution and suspicion that the military will continue wielding power after a new president is chosen are making for a chaotic backdrop to the campaign.

In Egypt, chaos is pinned on military's incompetence

The troops pressed forward when protesters began cutting through barbed wire used to seal off the ministry building in Cairo's central Abbasiya district.

Protesters ripped down a metal fence at an underground railway construction site to build a barricade. Some cried "God is greatest" as army helicopters swooped overhead.

The teargas scattered the crowd hundreds of meters down the rock-strewn streets where they regrouped. Troops blocked off a street to the ministry using armored personnel carriers and some fired shots in the air.

PhotoBlog: Thousands protest in Cairo as military fires back with tear gas and water cannons

"The crowd is coming here with sharp weapons. We have batons and water cannon and teargas to disperse them," said one commander. "Some of them believe if they kill a soldier they will go to heaven. What do you expect us to do?"

The Health Ministry said 59 people were injured, most of them from inhaling teargas, and five were taken to hospital.

As dusk approached, gunfire could be heard close to a mosque in the center of the capital.

Election disputes
Tension surrounding the election rose a notch on Wednesday when unidentified assailants fired at protesters camping near the defense ministry, starting clashes that the security forces seemed unable or unwilling to quell.

Many of those protesters were hardline Salafi Islamists upset that their candidate was ruled out of the vote, which begins on May 23 and 24 with a run-off in June.

The Muslim Brotherhood, which dominates parliament, saw its first choice disqualified too, handing a potential advantage to Mubarak-era contenders such as former foreign minister Amr Moussa and ex-prime minister Ahmed Shafiq.

Some Egyptians see the last-minute changes to the candidate line-up as proof the generals are trying to manipulate the vote.

"Remnants of Mubarak's regime are not eligible to assume any power," Hashem Islam, a sheikh from Egypt's highest authority of Sunni Islam, Al-Azhar, told protesters at the defense ministry.

Several thousand Islamists, liberals and left-wing revolutionaries also massed in Tahrir Square, headquarters of the street movement that has transformed decades of tightly-controlled Egyptian politics.

Banners draped in Tahrir demanded implementation of a law banning figures from the Mubarak era from high office. Shafiq was briefly disqualified as a result of the law, but still found his way back into the final line-up of presidential candidates.

Members of the ruling military council on Thursday renewed a pledge to exit politics after handing power to the new president by mid-year. They said the handover could come earlier in the unlikely event that one candidate wins outright in the first round.

But tension between the army's interim government and the Islamist-dominated parliament has left Egypt in a state of policy paralysis that is deepening an economic crisis caused by more than a year of political turmoil.

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News Analysis

With three weeks before presidential elections and less than 60 days before a new civilian president is sworn into office, Egypt is once again witnessing a round of violence that critics and activists say has become emblematic of the country's chaotic transition.

The latest flare-up came on Wednesday when armed supporters of Egypt's military rulers – many believed be hired thugs – attacked predominantly Islamist anti-government protesters outside the Defense Ministry in Cairo, setting off clashes that left 11 dead.
 
But Wednesday's clashes should not be dismissed as merely a conflagration of violence between rival political groupings. It has a deeper meaning – a deep mistrust between citizens and the military that continues to grow and jeopardize the country’s future.

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Military mismanagement
The frustrations many Egyptians have with the military stem from its failure to chart a transparent and civilian-led transition to democracy. Instead, since former President Hosni Mubarak’s ouster in February 2011, the military has tried to play the role of steward, guardian and, at times, driver of the revolution much to the dismay of the country's revolutionary youth.

PHOTO BLOG: Several dead in Cairo as protesters attacked

The military's shortcomings have been coupled with its mismanagement of the country's day-to-day affairs through successive military-appointed civilian cabinets which hold very little power and even less credibility. The result is that few in Egypt can say the quality of their life has improved in the transition period.

Meanwhile, Egypt's parliament has yet to find itself as the people's voice. A committee tasked with writing a new constitution is in disarray. The powerful Presidential Elections Commission has been operating, at best, in a questionable manner with how it manages the upcoming presidential race. And Egypt's judiciary continues to struggle in asserting itself over the legality of the state’s actions and the military's decisions.

However, Wednesday's violence has shifted the attention away from these issues and the candidates and refocused it on the military's mismanagement.

Presidential hopefuls have suspended campaign activities; effectively curbing their time spent selling voters on their ideas and vision for the country's future.

Even Egypt's first presidential debate, which was scheduled to be televised nationwide Thursday, has been delayed, and could potentially be cancelled. The debate would be a first in the Arab world.

‘Two steps forward, one step back’
Such developments bolster the characterization of Egypt's transition as "two steps forward, one step back.” Every time there is a silver lining that gets people hopeful about a new Egypt, they are almost immediately undermined by either a deliberate or unintentional miscalculation by the ruling military council.

And the increasing fear among Egyptians is that the military may ruin what is left of an already deficient process on its way out of power. That’s why the next 60 days are critical in Egypt and must be watched ever so closely.
 

CAIRO — Egypt's Islamist-dominated parliament said Sunday it was suspending sessions for a week to protest the ruling military's failure to heed repeated calls for the dismissal of the government.

Anger against the country's military rulers also spilled into the streets where a protester was killed late Saturday in a demonstration outside the Ministry of Defense. Protesters clashed for three hours with unidentified assailants supporting the military, throwing rocks, firebombs and glass bottles.

The parliament seated three months ago has been demanding it be allowed to form a Cabinet to replace the one appointed by the country's military rulers late last year. That Cabinet is headed by Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri, a holdover from the era of authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak who was ousted in a popular uprising 14 months ago.

Parliament Speaker Saad el-Katatni of the powerful Muslim Brotherhood announced the suspension after lawmakers spoke in a televised session against el-Ganzouri's government and the ruling generals.

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"It is my responsibility as speaker of the People's Assembly (parliament) to safeguard the chamber's dignity and that of its members. There must be a solution to this crisis," el-Katatni told lawmakers before he adjourned the session until May 6.

The legislature's move is likely to fuel tensions between the generals and the Brotherhood, which controls just under half the seats in parliament. It also brings into focus the ambiguity of parliament's actual powers at a time when the ruling generals enjoy near absolute executive powers.

Brotherhood vs military
The Brotherhood and the military are already at odds over what was widely seen as an attempt by the Brotherhood-led Islamists in parliament to dominate a 100-member panel that was to draft a new constitution.

A court disbanded the panel and consultations are under way between political parties and the ruling generals over the composition of a new panel.

Egypt's military ruler, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, has hinted in several public comments in recent weeks that the powerful military would not allow the Brotherhood to dominate the country, a response to what is widely seen as the group's hunger for power after 60 years operating illegally and subject to government crackdowns.

The credibility of the Brotherhood was dented when it announced it was fielding a candidate in presidential elections, reversing an earlier decision to stay out of the May 23-24 race. An expected runoff will be held on June 16-17 and a winner will be announced on June 21. The military has promised to hand over power by July 1.

El-Ganzouri, who is in his late 70s, served as prime minister during the 1990s under Mubarak.

Saturday night's clashes took place when the unidentified assailants set upon the protesters.

Attack on protesters
Neither army troops or police attempted to stop the street battle, witnesses said. They also reported hearing gunshots.

Many of those outside the Defense Ministry were supporters of an ultraconservative Islamist angered by his disqualification from running in next month's presidential election. Hazem Salah Abu Ismail was thrown out of the race because officials ruled his late mother had dual Egyptian-U.S. citizenship in violation of eligibility rules.

Security officials said the dead protester was one of Abu Ismail's supporters. There was no official confirmation of the protester's death, or information about how he died. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Demonstrations in Egypt have frequently been attacked by unidentified assailants, particularly protests which are near or outside the Defense Ministry.

Rights and pro-democracy activists have blamed the attacks on undercover police, petty criminals on the police payroll, plainclothes army soldiers or supporters of the ousted Mubarak regime.

Mubarak-era generals took over the reins of power when their patron stepped down in February last year. Opposition to their rule has built up after they were blamed for killing protesters, jailing critics and putting at least 10,000 civilians on trial before military tribunals.

They have also launched a systematic campaign to undermine the youth groups credited with Mubarak's stunning ouster, using the state media to portray them as irresponsible and linked to foreign powers.

"Crushing peaceful demonstrations, whether we agree with them or not, is a continuation of a regime that has not been removed yet," Egypt's top reform leader Mohamed ElBaradei wrote in his Twitter account. "Will we this time see those involved in violence brought to account whether they from inside or outside the regime?"
 

Copyright © 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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TEL AVIV, Israel – Celebrating Israel's independence always starts with a bang. Fireworks light up the night sky as families fill the streets.  Starting Wednesday evening and continuing throughout the day Thursday, the country has been covered in overt displays of national pride with flags flying from most homes and cars.

But, as always with Israel, that very independence brings insecurity. This week has been no exception.

The newspapers have carried an array of mixed messages and perceived threats. From increased tension along the border with Lebanon to Israel's military chief saying Iran is unlikely to build an atomic bomb.

But one issue dominates – the changing relationship with Egypt, their southern neighbor, and the vital gas pipeline running between the two countries.

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Gas deal terminated
On Sunday Egypt terminated a long-term gas deal with Israel. While politicians on both sides have tried to downplay the closure of the pipeline as merely a business dispute, there is little doubt it's a sign of a relationship coming under increased strain.

The pipeline has been attacked 14 times over the last year, repeatedly interrupting gas flow. Although the deal supplied Israel with 40 percent of its natural gas, experts say the cancellation will have a limited impact.

Professor Eytan Sheshinksi, who teaches at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, said Israel had become used to them.

"I think it will not have serious effect at this time. Shortages were expected this summer anyway," he told NBC News.

As far as Israel Hayom, the popular right-leaning Israeli Hebrew-language daily newspaper, was concermed, it was another example of why Israel should only depend on itself.

"The painful conclusion is, once again, that we have no genuine friends in the region," the paper's analysis wrote. "This is a reminder...that we must first and foremost depend only on ourselves."

Israel expects gas to start pumping from its own huge reserves next year – which many have great expectations for.

"This is extremely important for the country," Dr. Amit Mor, CEO of the Israel’s company ECO Energy Ltd., said about Israel’s push to develop its own oil reserves. “We do not need to depend our energy production consumption on the importation of oil and gas from our neighboring Arab countries or from the international market. We can provide our own resources by ourselves.”

Political repercussions
Another major concern about the failed pipeline deal is what it means politically for Israel. The pipeline was part of a peace treaty between the two countries that was signed by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in 1979. Mubarak of course has been swept from power and long-held resentment at the peace deal is now being voiced publicly. 

The anti-Israel rhetoric is echoed by politicians in Egypt as the country prepares for presidential elections in May. "There is no doubt the peace treaty is unfair to Egyptian side," Mahmoud Ghozlan, spokesman and a senior figure in Egypt's biggest Islamist group, the Muslim Brotherhood, told Reuters.  Although he said all treaties would be "respected.”

On Tuesday Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israel Radio Egypt's Sinai Peninsula is, "turning into a kind of Wild West" with Islamist militants using the open desert border to stage attacks against his country.

Israel may well be celebrating 64 years, but the Jewish state continues to feel its enemies close by.

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CAIRO -- In the most shocking twist yet in Egypt's Decision 2012, the High Presidential Election Committee changed the political landscape in one fell swoop. The committee announced a decision Saturday night to ban 10 candidates, including some frontrunners who faced challenges to their eligibility.

Gone is the ultraconservative Salafist, Hazem Abu Ismail, who just Friday drew tens of thousands to Tahrir Square to protest the candidacy of another now banned candidate, Omar Suleiman. Suleiman was the former intelligence chief of the old regime. Many opposed him because they felt he would reverse the gainsof the revolution while thousands of others looked toward him to restore security.

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Gone also is financier and enforcer of the Muslim Brotherhood, Khairat al Shater. While al Shater had little charisma, he did have the well-oiled machine of the Muslim Brotherhood in his corner and could have proved an unstoppable force.

Two frontrunners remain: Former Foreign Minister and Dean of the Arab League, the secular Amr Moussa, rated as the leader of the pack in a recent poll; moderate Islamist reformer and former member of the Muslim Brotherhood leadership Abdel Menim Abol Fotuh, who has gotten high marks from voters looking for a progressive religious candidate with vision. In an abundance of caution, the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafist group have both fielded second, less-problematic candidates who are less popular but still in the running.

Upon our arrival to Cairo airport Saturday night, nonplussed  passengers and airport workers had just heard the news. They huddled in small groups debating the ramifications. Most were confused but were inclined to now give their vote to Islamist reformer, Abol Fotuh.

"We need a man of religion,” baggage handler Ossama Fatouh said. “The old regime supported oppression, that's all. I will support Abol Fotuh. There is a slogan in the demonstrations, the people want the application of God's law."

Tarek Bahairy, project manager, lamented the banning of his personal favorite, Salafist Abu Ismail. "It’s bad news because we believed in this man.” His vote will also go to Abol Fotuh, he said.

"What is the law that allowed them to stop (Muslim Brotherhood candidate) al Shater," demanded baggage handler Kareem Mahmoud. "It’s understood if they want to eliminate people from the old regime. I think I will vote for Abol Fotuh."

"I am totally confused", agreed Mahmoud Ezz, mechanical engineer. "There are some legal issues for Suleiman but why did they eliminate al Shater? They must state their reasons."

He's waiting until the dust settles to make a decision.

People have come to realize that in Egypt's fast-paced election season, it’s not over till the fat lady sings. Would-be candidates have 48 hours to petition the decision to the election committee, whose binding decision will be made by April 26.

NBC’s Taha Belal also contributed to this report. 

Reports on some of the controversial candidates who have now been banned:

In Egypt, entry of ex-spy chief ups the ante in presidential election

US tie could foil conservative Islamist Egyptian presidential candidate

Muslim Brotherhood shocks Egypt with presidential run

CAIRO – The battle lines have been drawn in Egypt’s presidential election between two of the major candidates, Muslim Brotherhood Khairat Al-Shater and former intelligence chief Omar Suleiman. 

In his first shot across the bow, financier Al-Shater announced that election fraud would be grounds for a second revolution, a thinly veiled suggestion that a Suleiman victory would imply fraud and that the Muslim Brotherhood would wield their vast power to fill Tahrir Square and topple him.

But it’s not only the Muslim Brotherhood that is opposed to the former confidant of toppled dictator Hosni Mubarak. Many secular parties and candidates also are angry about Suleiman’s candidacy.

Suleiman, briefly a vice president during Mubarak’s last days in office, was the director of the intelligence apparatus that aided in suppressing the opposition from 1993 until the start of the revolution in January 2011. He is widely believed to have the backing of the military, which still wields considerable power.

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"Suleiman's Victory is Zero Hour for Civil War," warned a dramatic headline recently on the independent Wafd newspaper.

Many feel the revolution will have failed should the former spymaster triumph. "The sacrifices of the past year and a half will have been in vain," lamented another independent newspaper.

Others have criticized what they consider his past failures. "You … aided Israel, are you coming back to lose it again!?" chided another Wafd headline, referring to his perceived support of the 1979 peace treaty between the two countries.

On Thursday, the Muslim Brotherhood took their battle with Suleiman to the halls of parliament and won – sort of. Egypt’s parliament passed a bill that bars senior figures from Mubarak’s regime from competing in elections for the next 10 years, a move specifically intended to stop Suleiman from running in the next election.

However, the law will only come into effect if the military council that took over from Mubarak last year ratifies it, which is unlikely to happen before the election commission issues its final list of presidential candidates later this month. 

In light of this, the Muslim Brotherhood will take their case to the street Friday with more than 40 other revolutionary movements, calling for a million people to fill Cairo’s Tahrir Square under the slogan "Protecting the Revolution."

Security candidate
None of this would matter, of course, if the secretive ex-spy chief did not have demonstrable support.  However, he had no difficulty in raising more than three times the 30,000 signatures needed in order to qualify as a candidate. 

He also has buzz.  In the past week, you could hear little else discussed in shops, restaurants and taxis.  With rare exception, people I have asked on the subway, in taxis and on the street support him.

Why?

"When I drive my taxi these days, anybody can hassle me,” said one disgruntled cabbie. “I need security and he is the only one who can provide it."

Law and order is the first concern on many minds.  The lack of police presence and escape of hardened criminals since the revolution has led to a crime spree in what was once an oasis of safety.  Now, previously unknown threats such as kidnapping, carjacking and house invasions have become commonplace.  Many feel that Suleiman, relic of the old regime though he is, can restore security and with it tourism and investment.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

CAIRO – In an ironic twist of fate, the most conservative and anti-American of Egypt’s Islamist presidential candidates may be barred from running because his mother was a U.S. citizen. 

Hazem Abu Ismail is an extremely popular Salafist presidential candidate who has steamrolled the competition in an aggressive campaign that has blanketed Cairo with posters of his beaming and bearded round face.

But his campaign is now fighting for survival against the latest accusations that his deceased mother held U.S. citizenship. Egyptian law prohibits citizens whose parents hold (or held) dual citizenship from running for president.

Abu Ismail maintains his mother only had a green card. Egypt’s election commission announced Thursday that his mother was a U.S. citizen, however they have not officially disqualified him from the race yet. The New York Times also reported earlier this week that California public records and voting records prove she became a U.S. citizen. 

Anti-American Egyptian candidate may be tripped up by mother’s US ties

If Abu Ismail’s candidacy is disqualified, it could seriously shake-up the race that includes former regime officials and Islamists competing in the first presidential election since former President Hosni Mubarak’s ouster. The election is set for the end of May.

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A show of support
On Friday thousands of die-hard Abu Ismail supporters marched to Cairo’s Tahrir Square to defend their candidate against what they called lies and forgery. 

“U.S. intelligence said she was a U.S. citizen, but they are lying. So is the military. They are supporters of the old regime,” said Kamel Hussein, a 35-year-old Egyptian TV employee. Hussein, who is a supporter of Abu Ismail but not a Salafist, said his vote would go to liberal former Arab League chief Amr Moussa if Ismail is forced out. 

Cairo math teacher, Mostafa Aly, 28, believes the military and security forces have forged documents so that Abu Ismail, if elected, will not try them for attacks against demonstrators during and after the revolution, as he had promised. 

“The people who don’t want to be tried are behind this,” insisted Aly. 

Dr. Mohamed Farouk, a pediatrician and father of four, blamed the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as the U.S. and the old guard for spreading false rumors about Abu Ismail. 

“The Muslim Brotherhood are afraid of him,” said Farouk. The Muslim Brotherhood, which recently put forward its own presidential candidate, stands to gain if he is disqualified because they could pick up some of his conservative Islamist votes. The Brotherhood already won nearly have of the seats in Parliament earlier this year.

Muslim Brotherhood shocks Egypt with presidential run

Farouk insisted others were plotting against Abu Ismail, too.

“I believe everything Ismail says. He is always speaking the truth. When they found 160,000 people supporting his candidacy, they became afraid. They are playing a game to prevent his presidency.”

Most supporters said they would stand by their candidate regardless. 

“If his mother was an Eskimo, I would still support him,” one young man interjected. 

A few threatened to come to Tahrir Square en masse if he is thrown out of the race.   

“This demonstration is a warning to the military government. If there is forgery of her citizenship, we will have a second revolution,” said Mohammed Khalil, a 23-year-old pharmacist. 

Others said their vote would go to the most liberal Islamist candidate, Abdel Munim Abdel Foutouh, a reform minded doctor who was expelled from the Brotherhood and who has been trying to appeal to both religious and secular Egyptians – rather than the official Brotherhood candidate.

Numbers matter
However, if Friday’s relatively small show of support is any indication, the Salafist’s foiled candidacy may pass quietly into the night.

While his stalwarts showed up, the number of people gathered was not overly impressive. The crowd appeared to be less than 5,000 people, which is small compared to the hundreds of thousands who have professed their support for him.

Many of the people gathered gave ‘the dog ate my homework’-type excuses for low attendance, such as the heat, fasting on a holy day and short notice.

But the absence of more supporters may prove significant.