Interior Ministry blames Brotherhood for Alexandria floods

The Interior Ministry declared in a statement on Friday that it has apprehended an alleged Muslim Brotherhood terrorist cell that may have caused recent floods in Alexandria.

The alleged 17-member cell supposedly blocked the city’s drains with cement, according to the ministry, causing severe drainage issues. One suspect was photographed by the ministry sitting next to a drain holding a stick. The suspects were also accused of destroying electricity generators and burning garbage with the aim of “causing a crisis in the governorate and creating a state of public exasperation from the current regime.”

Other accusations included planting bombs in different areas within the city, according to investigations conducted by the National Security Agency.

User comments on the Interior Ministry’s Facebook post revealed increasing anger and harsh criticism of the government for blaming the Brotherhood for many of the country’s recent crises. Chief among these was the arrest of Brotherhood business tycoon Hassan Malek and four other leaders for allegedly destroying the Egyptian economy by destabilizing the pound.

Haitham al-Sheikh, the Alexandria correspondent for privately owned Al-Watan newspaper, was one of many who dismissed the Interior Ministry’s claim on his Facebook page. He confirmed that the alleged cell was arrested during the first round of elections in Alexandria two weeks ago, before heavy rain flooded the city.

“Yes, they had bombs and weapons and were involved in planting a sound bomb close to the railway station. Overreacting is not good, please respect the people,” the reporter said.

Heavy rain and floods left over five people dead in Alexandria in recent weeks. Failing infrastructure and poor drainage have been widely blamed for the flooding, and subsequent deaths. Four people were electrocuted when a wire from the Moharram Bek tram fell into the rainwater flooding the streets, while strong winds caused a light tower to fall, killing the fifth victim.

Alexandria’s governor resigned following the deaths, with the government admitted to shortcomings in its response to the crisis, asserting that the city’s lack of mechanisms to cope with seasonal heavy rain is now being addressed.

In a press conference last week, Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said the government had allocated LE75 million for the repair of the sewage system in Alexandria, but that the budget was not finalized on time and other circumstances caused the projects to stall. He promised they would begin again and be completed within two months.

In Beheira, heavy rain and flooding left 11 people dead, with hundreds of families trapped in flooded homes. Shops and residences were also destroyed by the floods, causing major financial losses in the Delta governorate.