CAIRO: Member of the ElBaradei Campaign in Alexandria Mahmoud Shaaban was released Sunday morning after being abducted for 24 hours, coordinator of the Alexandria campaign Mohammed Samir told Daily News Egypt.
Shabaan was abducted on Saturday at 1:30 am after returning from the April 6 Movement’s annual iftar in Cairo. He told Samir about his abduction in an incomplete text message on his phone.
Shaaban, also a member in the National Association of Change (NAC), was robbed of his money and personal belongings and left on Moharram Baik Bridge on Sunday.
"He was blindfolded and handcuffed with a wire for 24 hours, without food or drink, but was not tortured," Samir said.
There is no information about where Shaaban was taken.
Shaaban will file a complaint to the Prosecutor General holding accountable the Head of the National Security apparatus, the Minister of Interior and Alexandria’s military commander.
"We really do not know for sure who abducted Shaaban, but those we singled out in the complaint are the ones responsible for such incidents," Samir said.
"These are the same practices of the dissolved state security apparatus: abducting activists and interrogating them in inhumane conditions. This is unacceptable after the Jan. 25 revolution," he added.
Shaaban was questioned about the activities of the campaign, if presidential hopeful Mohamed ElBaradie pays money for it, the relationship between the campaign and the April 6 Movement, the sources of funding for the youth group, and the campaign’s plans regarding the million man march on Sept. 9.
Samir confirmed that ElBaradie was closely following news of Shaaban’s abduction.
The April 6 Movement had said in a statement earlier that they planned to hold a solidarity protest in front of the prosecutor general’s office to condemn Shaaban’s abduction
"We support our colleague and we condemn the continuation of the practices of the old regime like abducting activists by the dissolved state security apparatus," April 6 spokesman Mahmoud Afify told Daily News Egypt.
"We do not know what happened exactly with Shaaban, but we also have to wait for the results of an investigation by authorities," Afify said.
