CAIRO (AP) — Hosni Mubarak's trial on charges he ordered the killing of protesters during Egypt's uprising will be held at a police academy on Cairo's outskirts instead of a convention center in the heart of the capital, the head of Cairo's appeals court said Saturday.

The change appears to be linked to concerns over security during the ousted leader's trial, which is scheduled to begin Wednesday and is sure to draw a large audience. The 83-year-old ex-president is to stand trial alongside his security chief and six other senior security officials facing the same charges stemming from the crackdown that killed hundreds but failed to stop the 18-day uprising that forced Mubarak from power on Feb. 11.
Mubarak's two sons are also expected to appear in court on corruption charges. A business associate will be tried in absentia.
Keeping order during the trial is a top concern. Protests have escalated recently as Egyptians demand faster changes and the prosecution of Mubarak and former regime officials from the military leaders who have taken temporary control of the country.
The police academy is located in New Cairo, a district on the capital's eastern edges that is not as heavily populated as the area around the convention center. The change in venue was announced by Judge El-Sayed Abdel-aziz Omar, who according to law is in charge of deciding the trial location.
Assistant Justice Minister Mohammed Munie told the state-run MENA news agency that the trial will be held in an auditorium at the academy that can hold up to 600 people. He said a cage for the defendants has already been prepared. Only state television will be allowed to have cameras inside the hall, he said, but other networks can have live access to the video footage.