A Damanhour prosecutor has referred the case of the army fatal shooting of an Al-Ahram journalist to military prosecution.
Tamer Abdel-Raouf, bureau chief of the state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper in Egypt’s Beheira governorate, was shot dead by armed forces at a checkpoint south of the city of Damanhour Monday evening.
Abdel-Raouf was driving his car home after attending a meeting with the governorate's chief shortly after the beginning of the state-imposed curfew at 7pm.
State owned Al-Gomhoreya journalist Hamed El-Barbary, who was accompanying Abdel-Raouf El-Barbary in the same car, was wounded.
On Tuesday, El-Barbary testified from his hospital bed that the armed forces at the checkpoint fired at the car despite Abdel-Raouf’s compliance with the army’s order to stop.
Later on Tuesday, El-Barbary was detained for 4 days pending investigation after being charged with possessing unlicensed weapons.
Journalists and media personnel are officially exempt from the curfew imposed by the interim government since last 14 August in 14 governorates from 7pm to 6am.
Egyptian Armed Forces Spokesman Colonel Ahmed Ali said the forces did not intend to kill them.
Ali added that the Raouf's car approached the army checkpoint in a speedy manner giving the forces no chance to verify the identity of its passengers.
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