Public prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmoud said on Wednesday that he would not give in to blackmail.
Mahmoud’s statements came during a meeting called for by various political parties and movements to express support for Mahmoud against attacks by the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist forces.
Over 30 public figures participated in the meeting, including Refaat al-Saeed, the head of the Tagammu Party, Ahmed al-Fadali, the head of the Democratic Peace Party, Former MP Mostafa Bakry, novelist Gamal al-Ghitany, and representatives from Al-Azhar, the Coptic Church, and those injured during the revolution.
The meeting was in response to a protest organized by the Islamists on Tuesday to demand the dismissal or resignation of the attorney general.
Jama’a al-Islamiya, the Salafi Front and other Islamist coalitions staged the protest outside Mahmoud’s office on Tuesday.
“This is the start of a series of protests until he leaves,” said Ali Abul Nasr, secretary of the Jama’a al-Islamiya’s Construction and Development party. “It is one of the revolution's demands.”
A dispute between Mahmoud and President Mohamed Morsy erupted earlier this month after the acquittal of defendants in the Battle of the Camel trial, which was attributed by the prosecutor to lack of evidence. Morsy fired Mahmoud, who refused to step down, and within days they reached an agreement allowing Mahmoud to stay in office.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
