Abdel Rehim Ali: Unknown group stalked me twice in Alexandria

Sunday 14-05 - 01:37 AM

Al-Bawaba

Cairo – Egyptian author and journalist Abdel Rehim Ali, Chairman and founder of Al-Bawaba News Portal, said in a statement that he was subject to a suspicious stalking on Saturday evening while in the city of Alexandria.

Ali, member of the Egyptian House of Representatives, added that the group who were following him alongside with his security personnel, were in two cars and had been monitoring his coastal residence before. They were trying to take photos of his car and the guards' cars when he was about to leave the city and return to Cairo.

Abdel Rehim Ali has written dozens of books to refute radical Islam and Muslim Brotherhood thoughts. Recently, he criticized the state's attitude against those who blame insufficiency and incompetence that mark the performance of some governmental agencies.

Al-Bawaba newspaper was banned twice last April after calling for the resignation of the minister of interior, following the deadly Palm Sunday attack on two churches in Alexandria and Tanta that left more than 45 dead.

The MP added that the bodyguards accompanying him stopped the persons who took the photos, especially after they noticed them waiting under the MP's private property for a long time until he came out of his house.

Ali pointed out that when the group tried to identify him. Two unidentified persons claimed that they were police officers from the Al-Montazah police station and would take care of the incident and the alleged stalkers. Yet, the identity of the two, claiming to be police, turned out to be untrue.

One of the stalkers, named Muhammad, claimed that he was the head of the investigation Department in Alexandria and that he was present this area to investigate a report of a shooting in the same place, specifically in the coffee shop next to the house of Mr. Ali.

The men in question suddenly left the scene in a silver, Mercedes car. Security officials have not replied to the MP's call for an official investigation on the alleged stalking.

Last April, Ali quit a Parliamentary session after approval of a new law give more powers to the President in appointing judicial posts.

Abdul Rahim Ali quits parliamentary session after approval of new Judicial Law

One of the officials Ali called was General Moustafa Al-Nimr, Head of Alexandria Security Department, who promised to reply fifteen minutes after the incident was reported, which was around 04:20 pm, and the following happened around 07:30 pm. The general was not available on his phone.