Cairo prosecution ordered a police officer to be remanded into custody late on Friday pending investigation over the murder of a driver on Thursday, an incident that ignited massive protests by his relatives and friends outside the Cairo Security Directorate.
The police officer is facing charges of shooting dead Mohamed Ismail — AKA 'Darbaka' — in the Cairo neighborhood of Darb al-Ahmar, and incident that was followed by angry protests against the Interior Ministry, prompting security leaders to meet with the victim’s relatives to calm the atmosphere and assure them of legal action.
Speaking to investigators, the officer confirmed eye-witnesses accounts concerning the reason for the dispute he had with the driver before he shot him dead. He said he disagreed with the price the driver quoted for transporting goods the officer had purchased.
The policeman, however, said he had not meant to kill Ismail. The Interior Ministry had also stated that the police officer was shooting in the air to scare off the driver who was fighting with the police officer’s brother over the transportation deal.
Residents held a massive funeral for Darbaka, which saw angry anti-police chants.
The Interior Ministry is facing mounting cricism over reported assaults on members of the public by police, as well as cases of forced disappearance and torture in police custody. The ministry, however, insists that such incidents are not systematic or part of ministry policy, but rather "individual" acts by wayward police officers.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
