An interior ministry source has denied rumours that a former state security officer was “arrested” on Tuesday night by protesters camped out in Cairo’s volatile Tahrir Square, the site of ongoing clashes between demonstrators and security forces.

Refuting media reports, the source said that the man in question, Abdel Moneim Abdel Hafiz Hamdeen Ahmed, had retired from public service on 25 January. The source went on to stress that Hamdeen Ahmed did not work for state security, but rather used to work for Giza’s security directorate.

Hamdeen Ahmed was reportedly detained last night by protesters in the square, who said they had found him in possession of a gun and a silencer. After his capture, he was attacked by activists, who beat him severely. He was eventually transferred to a field hospital near Tahir’s Omar Makram Mosque for medical treatment.

According to news reports, potential presidential contender Sheikh Hazem Abu Ismail helped mediate the man’s release.