The parliamentary committee in charge of national security will set up a panel to ask leaders of the National Security Agency about allegations that one of its officers incited an attack on Parliament.
Ahmed Salah Eddin, the NSA officer in question, was apprehended by protesting Petrojet Company employees who claimed he was inciting them to break into the Parliament building on Tuesday.
The panel will also hear the testimony of the officer, according to a statement released by the Parliament on Wednesday.
Members of the Defense, National Security and Mobilization Committee have already heard testimonies of eyewitnesses to the incident, including the leader of the military force securing the Parliament building. He provided his testimony in writing.
The committee is expected to prepare a report on the incident to be discussed in Parliament over the next few days.
The committee has also asked the Justice Ministry to assign a magistrate to investigate the incident, per the request of Freedom and Justice Party MP Mohamed al-Beltagy.
Salah Eddin said he was part of a force checking up on the security situation in the area, according to NSA sources. He was beaten by the protesting employees who also seized his belongings, the sources said, adding that Salah Eddin then filed a report of the incident at the Qasr al-Nil Police Station.
A source from the Cairo Security Directorate said the department has footage showing the protesters’ assault on the officer.
People’s Assembly Speaker Saad al-Katatny had asked the Defense, National Security and Mobilization Committee on Tuesday to investigate the arrest of the NSA officer.
The interim government disbanded the State Security Investigation Services in March 2011 and replaced it with the National Security Agency. Many critics, however, believe the change was more cosmetic than substantive.
The SSIS, Egypt’s much-feared and hated security agency, was used by the regime of former President Hosni Mubarak to suppress political dissent. The agency was accused of torturing detainees.
Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
