Bassem Youssef arrested over insults to President Morsi
He is one of Egypt’s most famous television stars – a wildly popular satirist whose Friday night shows are eagerly awaited by tens of millions of viewers.
But tonight, the Egyptian authorities were facing accusations of conducting a political witch-hunt after Bassem Youssef – whose weekly programme regularly lampoons the President, Mohamed Morsi, and his Islamist allies – was arrested over allegations that he insulted Mr Morsi and the Islamic faith.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkekARIuvIA[/youtube]Youssef answered his summons to the general prosecutor’s office in Cairo today in typically irreverent fashion. Mobbed by cameramen and a few dozen supporters, he arrived wearing an absurdly oversized graduation hat – the kind donned by President Morsi when he was awarded an honorary degree in Pakistan last month.
“Police officers and lawyers at the prosecutor-general’s office want to be photographed with me,” he said via his Twitter account after entering the building. “Maybe this is why they ordered my arrest?”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuG_wMG7-l0[/youtube]In another tweet Bassem said: Touched by people’s support and media attention,however, there are many more activists being prosecuted that deserve to get that support.
After being interrogated, Youssef was released on a bail of E£15,000 (£1,450). Campaigners have warned the arrest represents a dangerous development.
