entire country." Mubarak's lack of intervention until in a late stage in attempts to present Khatir as a martyred hero hampered efforts to reach an accord on Taba. Some prominent Egyptians expressed doubt that Khater was insane. Farid Abd al-Karim wished that the whole Egypt "would be struck with this same mighty madness". Ali Hillal Dessouki, a professor at the University of Cairo, said he was astonished that such men as Khater could be accused of madness and expressed his sadness for the "so-called sane". Nour El-Sherif, a prominent actor, told Khatir: "You are the sanest among us, for you did what we all want." The beginning of Khater's trial sparked a wave of protest rallies, which the Egyptian government saw as a threat to itself. More than 140 people were arrested, mostly at Zagazig University in the Nile Delta where Khatir had been enrolled as a law student. For the first time, the pro-government press published the real story behind the massacre, revealing that the victims were women and children. The editor of Al-Musawar journal criticized the opposition press for its handling of the story. An Egyptian newspaper published in February 2014 letters written by Khater, alongside the testimonies of his friends who visited him in prison during his last days. The letters suggest that Khater was mysteriously murdered in prison, and did not commit suicide, as published at the time in Egypt. Before his death Khater told his friends that prison security officials offered to let him escape, and that he suspected that they were looking for an excuse to shoot him. Khater told his friends that there was no reason to run away, because the prison is located deep in the desert. His mother testified that upon hearing this story she felt that her son was in danger. In one of the two letters, in the possession of his friends, Khater said that he was furious at Israel's treatment of Egypt, its attacks on Lebanon, and the many activities of the Israeli Air Force in the Sinai – despite the peace agreement. In a second letter he published a list of the weapons in the hands of his army unit side by side with a description of Israel's air operations in the region, alluding to the large gap in favor of the Israeli army. A friend of Khater, who visited him two days before his death, said