Egypt: Blind man accused of sniping protesters

A blind sheikh has been accused by Egyptian prosecutors of sniping protesters in front of Al-Ittihadiya Presidential Palace, activists said.

Rabei Abu-Eid was also accused of joining a terrorist organisation, as he is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Abu-Eid was sacked from the Awqaf Ministry and prevented from delivering Friday sermons. The police later asked him not to join anti-coup protests.

Based on information posted on his Facebook page and interviews with his family broadcast by Al-Jazeera Misr, he refused to stop taking part in protests. He was kidnapped while on his way to the dentist on January 15.

The activists said that the security officer who is in charge of interrogating Abu-Eid was surprised when he recognised that the blind prisoner was accused of being a sniper. He overturned the accusation leaflet to have the public prosecution to reassess the accusations.

Abu-Eid is a member of the International Federation of Muslim Scholars; he founded several Islamic schools and helped teach Quran.