Egypt’s Interior Minister Withdraws From Press Conf. On Altercation With Journalists

Mohamed Ibrahim, Egyptian Minister of Interior, withdrew from a press conference, held on Sunday afternoon, to discuss the latest security developments.

The altercations between the minister and a journalist started as the later asked Mohamed Ibrahim to secure the facilities and the vital areas flamed yesterday, like the headquarters of the Egyptian Football Association and Police Club. But the minister said they are not committed to secure all the facilities and left the press conference.

It is worth mentioning that the Egyptian soccer fans rampaged through the heart of Cairo on Saturday, furious about the acquittal of seven police officers while death sentences against 21 alleged rioters were confirmed in a trial over a stadium melee that left 74 people dead.

Tensions over the riot – which began when supporters of Port Said’s Al-Masry club set upon fans of Cairo’s Al-Ahly club after the final whistle of a league game that the home team won – have fueled some of the deadliest street violence in months. Police guarding the stadium, meanwhile, faced allegations ranging from not searching people entering the stadium to failing to intervene to stop the bloodshed.

Shortly after the verdict was announced Saturday, angry fans of Cairo’s Al-Ahly club who had gathered in the thousands outside the team’s headquarters in central Cairo went on a rampage, torching a police club nearby and storming Egypt’s soccer federation headquarters before setting it ablaze.

The twin fires sent plumes of thick black smoke billowing out over the Cairo skyline, prompting Defense Minister Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to dispatch two army helicopters to extinguish the fires.