Interior Ministry on high alert to secure election: Minister

CAIRO – 23 March 2018: Terrorist organizations are now relying heavily on social media platforms to communicate and attract young elements for recruitment, Minister of Interior Magdy Abdel-Ghaffar told Al-Ahram Al-Arabi magazine on Thursday.

During his first interview, conducted by Al-Ahram editor-in-chief Gamal el-Kishky, the minister stressed the necessity of international legislations that regulate the usage of such electronic means.

Abdel-Ghaffar revealed that the ministry managed to expose intel about a major hostile plot by the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood (MB); it firmly focuses on spreading false news and tendentious rumors to stir controversy and discord among the Egyptian society.

He added that the brotherhood is utilizing a set of websites and satellite channels to carry out its schemes against Egypt; these media establishments were tracked by the ministry to Turkey and Qatar, as they are being funded by some MB leaders.

The minister also touched upon the series of heavy preparations and drills to secure the presidential election process in the country in collaboration with the Armed Forces. He affirmed the deployment of security patrols and checkpoints across the country.

He said security forces were given instructions to raise the country's alert level to the highest tier to encounter any outlawed elements, affirming that forces will deal with such elements with utmost firmness and decisiveness.

Abdel-Ghaffar, who has been Egypt’s interior minister since March 2015, also said terrorist organizations are exploiting a number of international human rights organizations to issue false reports about human rights violations in Egypt. He said the aim behind such reports is to defame Egypt’s stature in the eyes of the international community.

According to the minister, the ministry of interior has adopted a series of procedures and measures against terrorism and terrorist groups within a decision to eradicate them, pointing out that no extraordinary measures were taken in the process, as all decisions were taken according to the country’s constitution and laws.

The minister stressed that citizens’ awareness must be raised to “fortify their minds against extreme ideologies to build a united national structure”.

During the interview, the minister addressed Egypt’s citizens that their country is going through a tough war against black terrorism. He stressed that confronting such evil requires all segments and parts of the country to integrate and join forces to preserve the nation's resources.