The Editor-in-Chief and a reporter from privately-owned Al-Youm Al-Sabaa newspaper were released on bail Saturday following a report filed by the Ministry of Interior accusing the newspaper of publishing false news.
(Photo courtesy of his official Twitter account)
The ministry filed a report to the General Prosecution accusing the newspaper of publishing a false report on 11 June that claimed that a “terrorist” attacked cars from the presidency’s motorcade, while on their way back to Cairo from the resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh in South Sinai, state media reported.
The presidency officially denied the attack happened on the same day, urging media to verify news before publishing it. The Al-Youm Al-Sabaa report cited a security source in South Sinai who told the reporter that the cars that carried security guards and employees were attacked on Thursday.
The prosecution released Khaled Salah, the newspaper’s editor, and El-Sayed Gharib Mansour, the reporter, after the investigation on a bail of EGP 10,000 each, charging the journalists with “publishing false news that can endanger general security, terrorise people and harm public interest”.
On 18 May, the Editor-in-Chief of Al-Bayan newspaper, Ibrahim Aref, was investigated by the prosecution following his arrest, also on accusations of publishing false news. Aref was later released on bail before being referred to the criminal court, along with a reporter and the CEO of the newspaper.
