For the second time in a week, army officers faced off Wednesday with police forces. Forces from the military police and navy on Wednesday evening surrounded the Montazah Police department in Alexandria for an hour to release a navy officer who was detained inside for fighting with a police detective.
Eyewitnesses said the fight began when the police stopped the navy officer to ask for his ID card and driver’s license, and that he called his friends to come to his rescue when he was taken to the police station, but no clashes erupted between the two sides.
The military prosecution is currently investigating a similar incident which occurred in New Cairo’s Fifth Settlement on Monday. Clashes that broke out between police and army officers Monday evening were ended the same night.
The clashes were allegedly sparked by the army’s intent to avenge a military officer who had a dispute with a police officer on Saturday. The military officer claims that the policeman stopped him on the Cairo-Ismailia Road to check his driver’s license, then took him to the police station and assaulted him.
Eyewitnesses said that on Monday evening the police fired teargas canisters to disperse the army officers who came to protest the alleged assault. Assistant Interior Minister for Cairo Security Osama al-Saghir denied that any teargas was fired.
Military spokesperson Ahmed Mohamed Ali said the confrontation was “incidental” and that the police and the army are partners in securing the country.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
