CAIRO - Due to the security vacuum resulting from the police withdrawal during the January 25 revolution, thuggery was on the increase in Egypt, according to local newspapers. “About 100,000 thugs are spreading chaos and threatening ordinary people in cities and villages,” revealed the Ministry of Interior. The police disappeared completely on January 28. Hence, thousands of detainees escaped from prisons, causing unrest and chaos. “These prisoners frighten ordinary people and commit crimes,” said General Mohamed Nour, former assistant to the previous Minister of Interior. “I call on security officials to arrest them. The Criminal Detention Law, aiming at detaining notorious criminals, should be temporarily reactivated,” added the former official. For their part, security officials insisted they were dealing adequately with the rise in thuggery. “The Ministry of Interior, in coordination with the Army Police, is confronting thuggery,” said General Mohamed Tolba, the head of the Cairo Security Directorate. “The thugs use unlicensed weapons to attack and frighten people. Therefore we are confiscating these weapons,” added Tolba. “Getting the thugs before military courts and prosecutors is a must. Severe sentences will reduce criminal activities,” said judge Gamal el-Qaisony, the head of the Cairo Criminal Court.
