Alexandria's prosecutor office began investigating of top Alexandria security officials on Thursday on charges of ordering the murder of scores of protesters during Egypt's pro-democracy uprising that started on 25 January.
The suspects are Mohamed Ibrahim, head of security in Alexandria; Wael Al-Komi, head of the investigative police unit in the Raml 2 district; Mutaz al-Askalani, assistant police investigator in the Gomruk district; and Mohammad Saafan, assistant police investigator in the Montaza 2 district.
All face a number of complaints from citizens, including accusations that they permitted firing at children during the protests.
The prosecutor's office in Alexandria issued a decision a few days ago to arrest the officials, and the were brought in for investigation late last night. The arrests were made amid the armed forces' tightening security measures.
A rights organization had said on Wednesday that 120 people were killed in Alexandria alone during the uprising. A total of at least 684 people are believed to have lost their lives nationwide, most of whom were shot by Egyptian police.