The April 6 Youth Movement members in Minya has received an assassination threat through an anonymous email message saying the group was "playing with fire."
The sender warned the activists against continuing their campaign to reveal the names of former National Democratic Party (NDP) members who intend to run in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
The group's media coordinator in Minya, Mohamed Farouq, told Al-Masry Al-Youm in a statement Thursday that April 6 filed a complaint with the general prosecutor’s office.
The activist organization launched "The White Circle and the Black Circle" campaign on 17 September to boost political awareness nationwide by exposing corrupt candidates and former NDP members who intend to run for office.
“A warning message to you, April 6 Youth Movement: We know you and your leaders in Minya and we know everything about you. Take care of yourselves and don’t mess with your masters. Forewarned is forearmed,” Farouq said the message read.
“If we are a black circle, then you are a red one, meaning blood,” the message added.
“We have been organizing the campaign of the White Circle and the Black Circle in Minya since the beginning of the Shura and parliamentary elections race. We were surprised by a [threatening] message on the movement’s email in Minya from an anonymous [sender who calls himself] Ahmed Badawy,” said Farouq.
“Such threats won’t prevent us from carrying out our national duty. We published a copy of the message we received on the movement’s page and we won’t retreat from uncovering the NDP remnants."
This is not the first time the movement has received threats. Farouq said a previous threat was underestimated and as a result one of the movement’s coordinators in Minya was kidnapped on 8 July. That person was released after being held for more than a day in a deserted area where kidnappers injured his hand with a caustic substance as a warning. A complaint was filed at the police station but no one was apprehended.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
