Cairo (CNN) -- An Egyptian judge on Monday said he would announce the verdict in the trial of three Al Jazeera journalists on June 23. The prosecution had argued that channels like Al Jazeera brought down Iraq and were planning to do the same in Egypt. One of the defendants, Al Jazeera bureau chief Mohamed Fahmy, argued that "a TV channel can't destroy a country." He held up a copy of a book by U.S. President George W. Bush, then slammed it down on the judge's elevated desk, telling him he had "underlined the parts in which Bush admits to invading Iraq based on misinformation."
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Three Al Jazeera journalists face charges in Egypt of spreading false news
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Prosecutors say the channel is trying to bring down Egypt; defendants forcefully deny it
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Defense attorneys say the charges were actually meant for a different Al Jazeera channel
An acquittal could be on the horizon, but others are holding back their excitement, fearing the politicization of the case, and public opinion that doesn't view @placeholder favorably, could lead to a conviction.