An anonymous source at Egypt’s interior ministry has ‎challenged recent claims by an alleged conscript from the ‎ministry’s Central Security Forces (CSF) who stated that he had ‎refused orders to fire on unarmed protesters during last month's Tahrir Square clashes. The ministry ‎source described the man’s allegations as “fake.” ‎

Late last month, a video clip appeared online showing a ‎CSF conscript who said that his name was Ibrahim Fathy ‎Adly. In the clip, Adly claims he had defected from the ‎CSF during the recent clashes in downtown Cairo after ‎seeing unarmed protesters shot down by security forces.‎

Adly, who had initially stated his name as Ibrahim Hassan ‎Mahmoud – presumably out of fear for his safety – went ‎on to say that he had been beaten by police officers and ‎had only been saved by Tahrir Square protesters. Adly ‎claimed to have been treated at one of the makeshift field ‎hospitals set up in the square at the height of the clashes.‎

On Monday, the interior ministry issued an official ‎statement about Adly, asserting that he had not, in fact, ‎been among the CSF conscripts who had taken part in ‎the violence.‎

The ministry went on to state that investigations had ‎revealed that Fahty once served in the CSF in Helwan, ‎but that he had been absent from service since 6 March. ‎The ministry also asserted that Fathy had been dismissed ‎from service on 27 March, meaning that he could not ‎have participated in the recent clashes.‎

The interior ministry concluded its statement by urging ‎the public to confirm potentially sensitive information ‎before making it public, or to present such information to ‎the public prosecutor so that it might be investigated ‎according to the law.‎

Several Cairo-based human rights organisations, ‎meanwhile, have filed requests with state prosecutors to ‎put Adly in a witness-protection program, arguing that he ‎represented an important witness to the brutality meted ‎out by the CSF against protesters during the recent five-‎day confrontation.‎

At least 40 protesters were killed in last month’s ‎clashes, while hundreds were seriously injured.‎