Judicial authorities in Damietta on Sunday decided to release two Egyptian content creators known as “Excellence” and “Sultanji”, who are accused of inciting confusion on social media by claiming that bottled water sold in Egypt is ‘unsafe’.
Each was released after paying a bail of LE 50,000, pending their appearance before the prosecution again.
Egyptian security forces arrested the two men on Saturday evening after they posted videos questioning the safety of bottled water sold in Egyptian markets, claiming it was sewage water.
They has previously posted videos also questioning the quality of olive oil and honey.
In a statement released on Sunday, the ministry explained that the investigation into the videos revealed the creators attempt to cast doubt on the safety and suitability of food products, aiming to increase their viewership and gain money.
The men confessed to filming the videos at one of their homes to post on social media in order to increase views and generate profit.
A security source stated that the two men obtained samples of unknown origin, claiming they were from food products available in the market, and analyzed them in private laboratories without adhering to established procedures.
The source added that: “They published the results on their social media pages in a manner intended to incite public opinion, without filing any official complaints with the relevant authorities. They resorted to this method solely to generate financial gain by increasing viewership.”
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
