Egypt's general prosecutor Hisham Barakat referred on Monday the editor-in-chief and chairman of the online news site Al-Bayan and an editor to the criminal prosecution on charges of publishing false news.

Ibrahim Aref, editor-in-chief of online news site Al-Bayan, was arrested on Monday May 18 along with the board chairman Nagiba El-Mahgoub over “publishing false news”, then released late on Tuesday on a bail of LE10,000 (approximately $1,300).

Senior editor of the news site, Sara Alaa El-Din, was also arrested but then released on bail.

The prosecution statement highlights that the three were arrested for “publishing false news that might disrupt general security, terrorise people, and harm the public interest.”

Al-Bayan published an article claiming that six prosecutors were assassinated while travelling on the Cairo-Suez highway. It was later denied.

Amid investigations, Egypt’s Journalists Syndicate filed a complaint with the prosecutor-general over what they called the “illegal procedures" taken in the arrest of a journalist.

Publishing false news is a serious crime in Egyptian law, and offenders can be given prison sentences.

The governmental Supreme Council of the Press, founded in 1980, became the main regulatory authority for journalists since the information ministry was disbanded in June 2014.

Several Egyptian media outlets have been facing state pressure over recent news reports.

Last week, privately owned daily newspaper Al-Watan was reportedly forced to stop printing and adjust its content before reprinting.