Egypt’s Interior Ministry spots ‘Turkish-funded’ platform publishing fake news

CAIRO – 15 January 2020: The Egyptian Interior Ministry on Wednesday said it could thwart schemes of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group, as the ministry’s national security sector could spot an electronic platform “funded by Turkey,” with the aim of “destroying the pillars” of the Egyptian state.

In a statement published by the ministry and circulated by local media, the ministry said it could spot the platform, as its leaders rented an apartment to create “negative” press reports that contain “false and fabricated” information about the political, economic, security, and human rights situation in Egypt and send them to the headquarters of the “agency” in Turkey, to “distort the image of the Egyptian state on the internal and external levels.

The platform belonged to a company dubbed “Sita”, which the ministry said established by the Muslim Brotherhood group, designated by Egypt as terrorist, with a Turkish fund. The photos published by the ministry showed logos of the Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency.

According to the ministry, the platform was led by a Turkish fugitive and other Turkish and Muslim Brotherhood figures. Police forces also arrested a Turkish civilian and three Egyptians who the ministry said belonged to the Muslim Brotherhood group.

Police also seized computer devices, mobile phones and sums of money in foreign and local currency, according to the ministry.