How did Egyptian security forces foil plot by Safwat Thabet, Yehia Mahran?

 

 

 

CAIRO - 1 October 2021: The Egyptian authorities continued their extensive investigations after the National Security Sector foiled a plot against the state by businessman Safwat Thabet, CEO of the Juhayna Food Industries company, and Yehia Mahran Othman Kamal El-Din, the owner of the largest import and export company and a ready-made clothing stores.

 

Both men are facing accusations of “joining and funding the terrorist group of the Muslim Brotherhood to topple the regime by force, attacking the military and police facilities and forces, and harming the country’s national economy, and financing the group’s activities with millions of pounds,” according to a statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Interior.

 

 The statement revealed that the imprisoned Thabet has ordered his main arm, Yehia Mahran, to transfer money through the latter’s company to finance the terrorist group.

 

The security forces raided an apartment in Hadaek Al-Ahram, Giza, and arrested Mahran with $ 400,000 and other amounts of money in different currencies. The money was hidden in a secret room inside the apartment, the investigation revealed. The security forces also seized a quantity of hidden ammunition.

 

As per the investigations, of which Youm7 has obtained a  copy, the accused men agreed with other fugitive leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood to hold several meetings to find ways and alternatives for funding their activities against the state; they agreed to collect foreign currencies to smuggle them outside to destabilize exchange rate of the dollar,

 

More charges against Thabet

 

Thabet, along with Sayed Sowerky, owner of the giant retail chain El-Tawheed wel Nour, were arrested in December 2020 over accusations of joining and financing terrorism. Sowerky is accused of inciting violence, joining an outlawed group, financing a terrorist organization and other charges.

 

In February 2021, Seif , Thabet’s son, was arrested and accused of making an agreement with leaders of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group to hold meetings, where they agreed on putting alternative plans to maintain financing.

 

The new plan aims at harming the state’s national economy, through smuggling foreign coins from the country to abroad and working on destabilizing the dollar exchange rate.

 

On a related vein, a judicial committee set up by the Egyptian government issued a decision in August of 2015 to seize the money and property of the head of Juhayna, due to his alleged links to the Muslim Brotherhood, which is banned in Egypt.

 

The company achieved profits amounting to LE 383.74 million during the first nine months of 2020, compared to profits of LE 291 million in the comparative period in 2019, including minority rights.

 

The company's sales increased during January-September period to LE 5.78 billion, compared to sales of LE 5.72 billion in the comparative period of 2019.

 

Juhayna operates within the food, beverage and tobacco sector, focusing on packaged foods with six subsidiaries operating across Egypt.