Interior minister denies police impunity, violations

Minister of Interior Mohamed Ibrahim called on the media not to focus on violations committed by the police, saying they are “individual” cases and not a phenomenon.

“I hope we don’t focus on infringements because they are individual infringements,” he said at a press conference Sunday in response to a question about police violations.

“After June 30 the picture changed completely,” Ibrahim said.

The minister maintained police officers are not immune to accountability, claiming, “there is no other government institution that holds its members accountable like we do.”

Ibrahim urged citizens to file complaints if they are ever subjected to police violations, since the ministry “doesn’t cover up any mistakes,” he claimed.

The minister addressed other controversial issues, such as the Protest Law and torture in prisons, in response to questions from journalists. He said that while he is not responsible for drafting the Protest Law, he would “have no problem whatsoever” should the legislative authority wish to change it.

Ibrahim refuted claims of torture in prisons, saying this kind of information is spread on Muslim Brotherhood websites. He said such allegations are made “to achieve political goals,” adding that he welcomes any visits to prisons.

During the press conference, the results of the latest security operation were reported, with Ibrahim claiming that seven people who were involved in various attacks on Armed Forces and police have been identified and killed.

They were allegedly involved in several incidents, most notably the deadly shooting of at least 21 Armed Forces personnel near the Farafra Oasis last July and another four police officers in Dabaa the following month, according to Ibrahim.

The security operation was carried out in coordination with the Armed Forces and Central Security Forces, resulting in the death of seven “terrorists,” following an exchange of fire in the Galala Mountain area in Suez, Ibrahim said.

Only six of the bodies were identified by their DNA. The seventh has not yet been identified. They were “the most dangerous elements affiliated with Ansar Bait al-Maqdes,” Ibrahim claimed.

Following the announcement, the minister showed a 10-minute video of the security operation amid applause from attending journalists.

Last July, at least 21 Armed Forces personnel were killed in an attack that took place minutes before iftar during the holy month of Ramadan, near the Libyan border and the Farafra oasis. Local media reported that the attack was launched by a suicide bomber.

The following August, an attack on a police car in Dabaa resulted in the death of four and injury of one police officer.

Security forces also killed four suspects following the attack near the Marina tourist resort, which several sources later reported were innocent civilians.