Egyptians react with dismay as former president is convicted on lesser charge and given sentence 'wide open' to appeal

Egypt's stuttering revolution has taken a dramatic new turn after Hosni Mubarak, the country's all-powerful dictator for 30 years, was sentenced to life imprisonment for enabling the massacre of protesters who rose up against his rule.

But initial euphoria at the historic verdict – the first time an Arab leader has ever been deposed, tried and convicted by his own people – quickly gave way to confusion and then fury on the streets as full details of the court judgement emerged.

Watched by tens of millions on live television, the judge, Ahmed Refaat, declared that neither Mubarak nor any other defendants in the so-called "trial of the century" were responsible for ordering the lethal assault by security forces last January and February that left almost a thousand demonstrators dead, and that the toppled autocrat and his former interior minister Habib al-Adly were guilty only of not using their high political office to put a stop to the bloodshed.

All other charges, which included profiteering and economic fraud, were dismissed, allowing key members of Mubarak's family and security apparatus – including his two sons Gamal and Alaa and several top security officials – to walk free. Legal experts claimed the ruling left Mubarak's life sentence "wide open" to appeal, and political analysts said the outcome was a victory for the deep state and a sign of the old regime reasserting its grip over the country.

"The verdict shows that they are quite willing to cut off the heads of the regime and throw them to the dogs in an effort to preserve the rest," argued Issandr el-Amrani, a columnist on Egyptian affairs who blogs as the Arabist.

Amnesty International said the ruling had failed to end a culture of impunity for security officials and politicians guilty of human rights abuses, and warned that the wait for genuine justice went on.

Against the backdrop of a looming presidential poll pitting the Muslim Brotherhood against Ahmed Shafik, Mubarak's final prime minister and the man many Egyptians believe has been promoted by the military junta and the now-disbanded NDP party to crush the revolution, Refaat began his verdict with a florid paean of praise to those who died for freedom. Describing Mubarak's reign as three decades of "black oppression without any glimpse of hope", he went on to call the start of the post-Mubarak era a "bright new day for Egypt".

But as the complete verdict was delivered inside the police academy turned courthouse in the eastern suburb of New Cairo where the 10-month trial took place, scuffles erupted in front of the bench and angry lawyers chanted "the people want the cleansing of the judiciary".

Outside, where anti-Mubarak protesters and the family members of those killed were separated off from a pro-Mubarak rally by thousands of riot police and armoured personnel carriers, revolutionaries reacted with disbelief and rage as the full implication of the judge's words became apparent. "This isn't a verdict – Mubarak is a dead man anyway but the others need to be executed 10 times over," said Mohamed Atyan, an ever-present figure throughout the trial who describes himself as the father of all the martyrs, as shouts of "it's theatre" thundered all around him.

"Our children's blood is cheap," Atyan concluded. "We must go back to our spiritual home, Tahrir Square."

Running battles soon broke out between rival demonstrators and the police, with rocks and debris pelted through the air by all sides. "The rabble of Tahrir are paid thugs who create chaos," said Umm Karim, one of those who had come to show one of the Middle East's most entrenched despots their support. "He should never have been on trial in the first place," added Safi el-Hennawy, another pro-Mubarak supporter.

Shafik commended the verdicts, saying they indicated "that nobody in Egypt is still above punishment or accountability". State television claimed early on Sunday that dozens of young Egyptians had stormed Shafik's campaign headquarters, destroying the contents. This could not be confirmed, but if true it would be the second attack on his office in a few days.

As Mubarak was flown by helicopter to join many of his former ministers in Tora prison, the building that once housed hundreds of political opponents who had dared to dissent against his rule, Egypt's political parties scrambled to reject the verdicts. The Brotherhood said it was convening an urgent meeting of anti-regime forces to co-ordinate a response, while the defeated presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi – who campaigned to replace Mubarak on a secular, pro-revolutionary programme but was narrowly beaten to the runoff by Shafik – called on Egyptians across the nation to take to the streets. In Tahrir, the urban heart of the revolution where so many protesters met their end, thousands answered that call, many tearing down Shafik posters on the way. Some brandished hastily scrawled placards reading: "We will die again."

"Those who want to see the end of this revolution will be cheering these verdicts, as will the security officials whose hands are dripping in our blood," said the revolutionary activist Hossam el-Hamalawy, from Tahrir Square. Foreign embassies, including the British government, advised their citizens to avoid the centre of the capital.

Egyptian state television reported claims that Mubarak, 84, had suffered a heart attack soon after hearing the verdict but this could not be independently confirmed. The former president's legal team have in the past reported on multiple occasions that their client was critically ill, only for doctors to dismiss the claims.

Hossam Bahgat, director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, one of the human rights organisations monitoring the case, said the prosecution had been hampered by withheld evidence and a lack of support from state institutions, and predicted that a retrial was likely. "We are glad that Mubarak and his police chief did not walk free but extremely disappointed at the acquittal of six security officials and even more at the reason given for the acquittals, which is the lack of evidence linking them with the killing of protesters," he told the Guardian.

"Today one is reminded of the closing argument of the chief prosecutor, in which he bitterly complained that he was on his own and had received no support from the state. It sends an extremely negative message and is a huge step back in our efforts to restructure the security apparatus. But this is not the end of the trial, in fact it is merely the beginning. There is no doubt that the verdict will go to the court of cassation, which is very likely to order a retrial, and we hope that any new trial will have the independence and integrity needed for further investigations."

Rise and fall of a dictator

1928 Born 4 May. After finishing high school, Mubarak enters the Egyptian Military Academy and gains a commission as a pilot officer in March 1950.

His career in military service reaches its pinnacle after the Yom Kippur war of 1973 when he is made air chief marshal, and ends when he is appointed vice-president of Egypt in April 1975.

1981 Mubarak becomes Egypt's president following the assassination of Anwar el-Sadat.

1989 Egypt is finally readmitted to the Arab League. The league's headquarters is relocated to its original base in Cairo.

1991 Supports the coalition in the Gulf war, with Egyptian infantry among the first soldiers to evict Iraqi forces from Kuwait.

1995 Survives one of six assassination attempts while in Ethiopia for a conference of the Organisation of African Unity.

2003 Speaks out against the Iraq war, arguing that Israeli-Palestinian conflict should be resolved first. He claims that the conflict will lead to "100 [Osama] Bin Ladens".

2005 Mubarak wins his fourth successive election. The polls involve widespread rigging, according to civil organisations that observe them.

2011 Mass protests against Mubarak and his regime erupt on 25 January in Cairo and other cities. Mubarak says he will not leave office and will die on Egyptian soil.

1 February Mubarak announces that he will not seek re-election but would like to finish his term and promises reform. Protests continue.

10 February He makes last TV appearance as president The next day the vice-president, Omar Suleiman, announces Mubarak has resigned and power will be turned over to the Egyptian military.

2 June, 2012 Jailed for life for enabling the massacre of protesters.