The Egyptian ministry of interior denied as baseless a press report claiming that the residence of the Israeli ambassador, Zvi Mazel, in Cairo was attacked by unidentified persons. The report said the incident took place during this week’s visit by Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres to the country.
The Emirati Al Bayan Arabic daily cited the report and an unnamed security source as denying the alleged incident. The source “voiced his perplexity,” at what the Egyptian opposition paper, Al Ahali, wrote, said Al Bayan.
The ministry protested that news agencies and newspapers have quoted Al Ahali, the mouthpiece of the Assembly opposition party, without contacting the authorities for official comment.
Eyewitnesses were cited by Al Ahali as saying a Jeep Cherokee rammed through the gate of the envoy’s house and came under fire from the security personnel guarding the place. The shooting lasted for 10 minutes, they said.
Police dispersed the onlookers who gathered after the gunshots were heard. In less than one hour, the car was covered with canvas and moved from the scene while the destroyed gate was replaced, the report claimed.
Refuting the story, the security source told Al Bayan that a 10-minute shooting is not an incident that can be hushed up so easily, especially in an area where foreign diplomats reside.
“The Jeep story, the removal of the car and the shooting is good material for a movie,” he said. “Besides, making another gate with the similar size and shape within an hour is practically impossible.” – Albawaba.com
