![Former Egyptian Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sami Anan (C) delivers a speech in Cairo, Egypt on 13 March 2014 [Mohammed Bendari/Apaimages]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/2014_3-13-Sami-AnanMB_00-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
Presidential hopeful Sami Anan’s family have said that they do not know where he is being detained or what decision the military prosecution reached after interrogating him on Tuesday.
Samir, Anan’s son, said that a lawyer from Dina Adly Hussein’s office attended the interrogations on Tuesday night which lasted more than six hours. When the lawyer asked where Anan was being detained one of the interrogators said he was on his way home, but the family confirmed that he was not there.
Samir said security forces searched the house and confiscated all the files they found, according to the Egyptian website Mada Masr.
Yesterday the spokesman for Anan’s campaign, Dr. Hazem Hosni, said that he does not know where he is.
Mahmoud Refaat, the general coordinator of Anan’s campaign outside Egypt, accused the Egyptian authorities of forcibly disappearing Anan.
On Tuesday a number of bloggers on social media websites circulated news about Anan’s detention, however no official statement was made by the Military Prosecution, which previously issued a gag order on media coverage of Anan’s arrest.
Anan’s office manager Mustapha Al-Shal revealed in a tweet on Tuesday that Egyptian authorities arrested Anan and pulled him from his car; after this his campaign team announced it had temporarily suspended its activities.
Read: Sami Anan suspends campaign after army pursues legal action
In an official statement the army accused Anan of “committing violations, including forgery and incitement against the armed forces,” after his announcement of his intention to run in the presidential elections in March.
Many consider that in addition to being part of the military establishment Anan is part of the deep state – under ousted Egyptian President Mubarak he was Chief of Staff of Egypt’s Armed Forces. If he does run in the elections he would have a strong chance at beating Al-Sisi.
Anan is Al-Sisi’s last opponent to be eliminated after former Prime Minister of Egypt Ahmed Shafik was pressured to withdraw from the elections.
Head of the Reform and Development Misruna Party and former MP, Muhammad Anwar Al-Sadat, announced his withdrawal after being harassed and threatened.
Only Egyptian lawyer Khaled Ali is left but he is facing jail time for public indecency.