Egyptian security forces have arrested a carpenter-turned-journalist for trying to blackmail MP Tayseer Matar, reported Al Gomhuria on Monday.
The aspiring extortionist, who posed as an editor for an independent paper, demanded that Matar pay him 50,000 pounds in exchange for suppressing articles on what he described as crimes that would land the lawmaker and his family in hot water.
The defendant, Hassan Fouzi, 25, was arrested inside the MP’s office while he was bargaining on the size of the payoff.
The accused said he was an editor and marketing representative for the daily Al Mustakbal.
The story began when the MP informed the top intelligence officer in his district that the defendant was attempting to blackmail him.
The supposed editor, when arrested, claimed that he had approached the lawmaker on instructions from the newspaper’s editor-in-chief.
Authorities are investigating the incident – Albawaba.com
