(AFP File Photo)
Nineteen people were arrested in the vicinity of the Ministry of Interior, on Saturday, for allegedly attempting to bring down the walls erected by the ministry.
The Ministry of Interior built walls surrounding Tahrir Square starting November 2012 to prevent protesters from reaching the ministry’s headquarters.
The arrests took place near Al-Sheikh Rihan Street, where the ministry is located; 16 of the detained are minors, “their ages not exceeding 16 years,” said Lawyer Fady Wagdy.
An investigation was conducted into the 19 detainees at Qasr Al-Nile prosecution on Sunday. They were accused of attacking security forces, rioting, possession of weapons and destroying public property, Wagdy explained.
“Most of the detainees denied the charges,” he added. “They said they were randomly arrested near Tahrir Square. They claimed to have nothing to do with bringing down the walls.”
Building walls closing down the routes between Tahrir Square and the Ministry of Interior is a phenomenon which has proliferated since 2011.
In November 2011, deadly clashes on Mohamed Mahmoud Street lasted for five consecutive days between protesters and the police, amid claims they were attempting to raid the ministry.
Clashes stopped when a wall was erected to block Mohamed Mahmoud Street’s entrance to Tahrir square.
