CAIRO-
Prosecutors in Cairo said they were charging 20 Al-Jazeera journalists for portraying Egypt in a state of civil war, a day after an Al Qaeda-inspired group claimed the assassination of a police general.
Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, an Al-Qaeda-inspired group from the restive Sinai Peninsula, said it shot dead General Mohamed Saeed outside his home in western Cairo Tuesday, and threatened more such attacks.
The killing came a day after Egypt’s top brass backed Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to run for the presidency, which he is expected to win easily if he does.
“Vengeance is coming,” Ansar Beit al-Maqdis said, addressing Sisi and interior minister Mohamed Ibrahim.
In just over six months, Sisi has won accolades from a vast section of Egyptians for ousting Islamist president Mohamed Morsi on July 3 and crushing his Muslim Brotherhood.
Morsi, Egypt’s first elected civilian president, fell after mass protests following one turbulent year in office.
At least 1,400 people, mostly Morsi supporters, have been killed in a relentless crackdown on Islamists, according to Amnesty International, while scores of policemen and soldiers have fallen to militant attacks.
As part of the crackdown, 20 Al-Jazeera staff — including award-winning Australian journalist Peter Greste, two Britons and a Dutch woman — were referred to trial on Wednesday.
The authorities have been incensed by the network’s coverage of their campaign against the Islamists and have accused the Qatari channel of ties to the Brotherhood.
The foreigners were accused of “airing false news aimed at informing the outside world that the country was witnessing a civil war”, among other charges.
The remaining 16 — all Egyptians — were charged with belonging to a “terrorist” group.
Al-Jazeera said “these are silly charges and not based on any reality.
US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki also condemned the referral.
“The government’s targeting of journalists and others on spurious claims is wrong and demonstrates an egregious disregard for the protection of basic rights and freedoms,” she said.
A Sisi election victory would keep alive a tradition of presidents drawn from the military, but the road ahead is expected to be riddled with political turmoil and security challenges.
