Crowds gathered this morning outside the police academy in Cairo where former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak appeared before a court to face charges of corruption and ordering the killing of protestors during the revolts that took place earlier this year. Mubarak, who had not been seen in public since he was deposed in February, pleaded not guilty. The trial carries a great deal of significance in the Arab world, as Mubarak is the first modern Arab ruler to be tried in public by his own people following a revolution, and could face the death penalty if convicted. Anthony Shadid, Beirut bureau chief for our partner The New York Times, reports from Cairo, where he stood among crowds of Egyptians this morning watching the trial projected on a large screen outside the courtroom.