Parliamentary candidate and TV presenter Tawfik Okasha was reportedly locked in a house located in Belqas Village, Daqahliya, after a verbal spat between him and a group of protesters developed into a gunfire assault late on Tuesday.

As part of his campaign for the ongoing parliamentary elections, Okasha held a press conference in the village.

Okasha, who is most renowned for his eccentric and bizarre statements a number of political issues, such as describing the January uprising as a Masonic plot, was met with stiff resistance in Balqis. Hundreds of local youth protested his nomination and chanted slogans against him.

A verbal exchange between protesters and Okasha, who has repeatedly denounced the January uprising, got heated. The man who had invited him to Belqas, opened fire in an attempt to protect his guest and disperse the demonstrators, injuring two men in the process.

However, the demonstrators, who were reportedly in their thousands refused to leave and locked him up in a house. Security forces managed to provide Okasha a safe exit, the whole episode lasting about two hours. For his part, however, Okasha has denied being confined, saying people rallied to “show their love for him.”

Videos of the turmoil in Belqas were uploaded yesterday on YouTube showing protesters chanting against Okasha.

Apart from using his TV show as a platform for attacking revolutionary forces, Okasha is among the public figures who regularly feature in the pro-military rule demonstrations usually held in Abbasiya.

Okasha is taking part in the parliamentary ballot’s third and final round, which gets underway on 3 January, in Daqahliya governorate.