Sheikh Mohamed Hassan (Photo:Internet)
Prominent Salafist preacher Mohamed Hassan has denied any role in the Battle of the Camel after video surfaced online of him entering the state TV building on 1 February 2011.
The Battle of the Camel took place on 2 February 2011 at the height of Egypt's revolution. Pro-Mubarak thugs stormed Tahrir Square on camels and horses, killing 11 protesters and injuring more than 2000.
“It hurts me that some people are trying to connect my visit to the state TV building on 1 February 2011 with the Battle of the Camel on 2 February," said Hassan on Sunday.
Speaking on his own TV show on the Al-Rahma religious channel, Hassan claimed that he went to the building to complain about state TV's biased coverage of the uprising and left less than ten minutes later.
After departing the building her went straight to Tahrir Square to urge the youth to continue their protest, he said.
He questioned why the video had surfaced when he was leading a campaign to replace US funds with donations from Egyptians. He also asked why he would cooperate with the Mubarak regime when it had just closed down his religious TV channel.
Some activists have accused the sheikh of supporting the Mubarak regime and changing his position after the revolution succeeded.
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