Identity of officer behind fabricated NYT leaked calls revealed

CAIRO – 9 January 2017: TEN TV host Nasha’at El Deehi revealed on Tuesday the identity of the alleged intelligence officer behind fabricated leaked calls with Egyptian hosts and celebrities.

Deehi said that the imposter who orchestrated the leaked calls is known by the name Samy Kamal El Din, a fugitive Egyptian journalist affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood who currently resides in Turkey.

Kamal El Din hosts a show on Turkey-based TV station “Mekameleen”, which has released audio recordings it claims are of an Egyptian intelligence officer asking influential celebrities to downplay American President Donald Trump’s call to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

The Egyptian authorities added that Kamal El Din took advantage of his contacts with several Egyptian celebrities due to his time as a journalist at several Egyptian news institutions, including Al Ahram newspaper, to impersonate an Egyptian intelligence officer.

New York Times (NYT) correspondent David D. Kirkpatrick penned an article on January 6 claiming that audio recordings of an Egyptian intelligence officer were leaked, in which the officer instructs several Egyptian TV hosts and celebrities how to comment on Trump’s call to recognize Jerusalem as an Israeli capital.

Attorney General Nabil Sadeq ordered investigations into the story published by the New York Times alleging Egyptian officials are supporting the U.S. decision on Jerusalem.

The attorney general’s statement said that the article published by the U.S. newspaper would compromise security and public peace, and harm the public interest in Egypt.

Over the past days, the article has triggered public anger against the U.S. newspaper, with many criticizing the paper’s unprofessional, inaccurate reporting on this issue.