Egypt MP calls on FM to intervene to release US rioters detained in Capitol Hill

An Egyptian MP has asked the foreign minister to intervene and call for the release of insurrectionists detained following the attack on Capitol Hill in the US, reports AlMasry AlYoum.

In early January Trump supporters stormed the Capitol Hill building in Washington D.C. after he called on his supporters to rally and defend the Republicans ahead of congressional certification of Joe Biden’s electoral victory.

Cryptocurrency data firm Chainanalysis has revealed that a number of the far-right activists received hundreds of thousands of dollars in Bitcoin before the attack, reports the BBC.

The US Attorney for the District of Columbia has said that 400 suspects have been identified and 135 arrested.

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A man identified as Kevin Seefried, who was seen carrying a Confederate flag on the day, has been charged with entering a restricted building, violent entry and disorderly conduct.

Another two men carrying plastic restraints into the building have also been arrested, Eric Gavelek Munchel and Larry Rendell Brock.

Justice Department officials have said they are considering seditious activity charges against some of the players, which could see them behind bars for up to 20 years.

Egypt’s General Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Trump were known to be close allies, with the latter famously referring to the former as his “favourite dictator”.

There has been debate about what the relationship between Al-Sisi and Biden will look like as Biden has promised to take a stronger stance on human rights abuses and promised that there will be no more “blank cheques” for Al-Sisi.

The comments by the Egyptian MP are all the more stark considering the fact that there are 60,000 political prisoners in Egypt who have been locked up in adverse conditions just for speaking out against the government.