Egyptian authorities have detained Ahmed AbouZaid, a prominent YouTuber and podcaster, days after he was shortlisted for the prestigious 1 Billion Followers Summit award in Dubai, which concluded on Monday. AbouZaid, creator of the educational YouTube channel Droos Online, commands a following of over 11 million across social media and reaches nearly 20 per cent of Egypt’s 48 million YouTube users.
AbouZaid was arrested from his home in Gharbia Governorate a week ago, shortly after withdrawing a significant amount of money from his personal bank account, reports Middle East Eye. Authorities charged him with illegal currency trading and detained him for four days pending investigation. His detention was later extended for 15 days by Al-Santa Court, despite his defence team’s appeal for release.
Thank you so much for such an amazing montage ❤️❤️🤩🤩.
It got me motivated, myself😅! https://t.co/nIkwvWfhjD— Abouzaid (@droos_online) December 25, 2024
His last post on X was on 25 December, when he reposted a montage video of his nomination by the 1 Billion Followers Summit account. Last week, in an article post on X, independent media platform Almasry Almawkef stated of his arrest:
“This news is deeply troubling and alarming for any Egyptian citizen—not just because Ahmed has done nothing against the law, making his arrest a violation of people’s right to security and freedom—but also because he is one of the most impactful YouTube personalities, benefiting young people immensely.”
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“Targeting him without justification creates a toxic environment for the younger generation, who witness repression and arrests affecting their role models for no reason. Additionally, they are being deprived of the educational content he provided free of charge,” it added.
According to a source close to AbouZaid, the charges are baseless, and all his financial transactions were conducted legally through Egyptian banks. The source claims the arrest was orchestrated by a senior official in the Ministry of Interior’s Public Funds Investigations Department.
AbouZaid, born in Gharbia in 1992, initially pursued civil engineering before shifting to content creation in 2012. His channel, which offers English language tutorials and life advice, quickly gained traction, leading him to become a full-time YouTuber in 2017.
Observers link his detention to broader government crackdowns on influential social media personalities under President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. Critics allege such actions aim to stifle dissent and control public narratives.