Egypt to sue New York Times following leaks

Egyptian lawyer Tariq Mahmood has filed a complaint with the First Attorney General of the Alexandria Appeals Office against the New York Times and the newspaper’s Cairo bureau chief, Declan Walsh, accusing them of publishing false news.

In his statement, Mahmood reported that the NYT published a story via its correspondent, David de Kirkpatrick, in which it was claimed that an Egyptian intelligence officer instructed several Egyptian TV talk show hosts and celebrities to downplay US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Mahmoud accused the NYT of creating a state of tension and purposely stirring up unrest by publishing the story.

Read: Leaked tapes reveal Egypt’s support for Trump’s Jerusalem decision

Mahmood added that the Egyptian state has always declared its positions through its official sources, headed by the Presidency and the Foreign Ministry, and categorically rejects Trump’s decision which it has done at the UN Security Council and the United Nations Customary Assembly.

Mahmood called for an urgent investigation into the facts contained in the report and to take the necessary legal action against them for the “crime” of publishing false news.