Influential Salafist preacher and former disqualified presidential candidate Hazem Salah Abu-Ismail is to be investigated by Egypt's State Security Prosecution for 'terrorising' police officers after calling for a protest against the National Security apparatus.
A Salafist group, calling itself the General Islamist Current, heeded Abu-Ismail's call and organised a rally on Thursday evening at the National Security headquarters in Cairo's Nasr City.
Protesters hurled rocks at the building's gates, shot fireworks and took off their shoes and raised them in the air as a form of insult.
A number of protesters also managed to scale the building's front entrance and replace the flag bearing the slogan of the National Security authority with a black flag that read: "There is No God but Allah."
The group's spokesman Hossam Abu El-Bokhary will also be investigated for the same accusations, which include allegations against Egypt's National Security without proof.
The State Security Prosecution will investigate accusations against Abu-Ismail and Abu El-Bukhary on Saturday.
Hundreds of Salafist protesters marched from the Rabaa El-Adawiya Mosque in Nasr City district to the National Security headquarters building nearby.
The stated purpose of the protest is to expose the return of 'old practices' by Egypt's State Security (SS) against Islamists, the General Islamist Current - organisers of the protest - stated in a statement on its official Facebook page.
During ousted president Hosni Mubarak's rule, the SS was infamous for cracking down on political activity, as harrowing stories of mistreatment and torture of the regime's political opponents by SS officers were regularly reported.
After Egypt's January 25 Revolution, the SS pledged reform and changed its name to National Security.
"As the National Security has returned to its criminal practices of summoning, investigating and threatening citizens against what the January 25 Revolution called for, it is the duty of every free Egyptian to stand against these practices," read the statement.
The statement also slammed alleged reports in the media on how the protesters were going to storm the National Security headquarters in Nasr City. "These rumours are intended to defame our peaceful movement."
The Islamist group hold security forces fully responsible for protecting the protest against any attack by "thugs," the statement added.
"We ask the Egyptian people, especially the revolutionary movements and political powers, to do their role and stand against the oppressive apparatus," concluded the statement.
"We do not call specific parties or groups to participate in the rally, but we are calling the Egyptian people to join us against this apparatus," said El-Bokhary.
The Islamist group's Facebook page published testimonies of Islamists speaking on how they were allegedly harassed and threatened by National Security officers.
The group also urged President Mohamed Morsi to purge the security apparatus.
The rally has already caused a split between the Islamists, some of whom declared their intent to participate in the rally and others who refused.
Abu-Ismail called on the people to stand against the National Security officers and participate in the protest on his show "Abu-Ismail files" on Amagad television channel last Wednesday.
Sheikh Mohamed Abdel-Maksoud, a leading figure in Egypt's Salafist movement, condemned the protest and called on the Islamist youth to not participate in the rally in statements published throughout the media.
Egypt's Building and Reconstruction Party, the political arm of the Al-Gama'a Al-Islamiyya, had announced that it will not participate in the protest at the National Security headquarters.
The Muslim Brotherhood and its political arm Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) also had stated they will not participate.
The Ministry of Interior, for its part, issued a statement on Thursday refusing what it considered as false claims from the representatives of some Islamist powers regarding Egypt's National Security.
"It is untrue what some spokespersons and representatives of some Islamist powers said in the media that the National Security is back to the old State Security practices in stalking the Islamists," said the statement, adding it was untrue that officers from the National Security threatened to kill religious icons.
"The National Security sector is working according to its responsibilities in counter-tourism and espionage as well cooperating with other State Security apparatuses in order to keep the national security of Egypt," added the Interior Ministry statement. The ministry also stated that it will take all the necessary precautions to protect its public buildings.
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