Egypt’s low ranking police officers protest arrest of colleagues

Scores of low-ranking Egyptian police officers protested on Sunday the arrest of seven of their colleagues in front of the Security Directorate in Sharqiyah province.

Egyptian media reports said the Egyptian security forces arrested on Saturday seven leaders from the self-titled “coalition of low-ranking police officers” as they headed to an interview with a TV channel.

The officers were scheduled to appear on a private TV channel with host Wael El-Ebrashy to talk about the shooting of a civilian in Al-Darb Al-Ahmar area in Cairo by a low-ranking officer.

The Egyptian Interior Ministry said the police officers were transferred to the Supreme State Security Prosecution for interrogation on charges of incitement against their employers.

Egypt has recently witnessed a wave of anger against police practices following the shooting incident in Al- Darb Al- Ahmar last week and the attack on two doctors in Matariyah General Hospital in January.

Egypt’s Attorney General Nabil Sadiq on Sunday referred the defendant in the Al-Darb Al-Ahmar attack to the Criminal Court on charges of attempted murder.

Remarking on the incident, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi demanded that the Minister of Interior Magdy Abdel Ghaffar issue new legislation to adjust security performance on the streets.