Journalists Arrested for Covering Cairo Car Bomb Explosion outside the Italian Centre · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Photos from explosion at the Italian center,” tweets journalist David Degner, @degner, who was among those arrested today for covering the bomb blast in downtown Cairo
One person was killed and several were injured when a car bomb was detonated outside the Italian Centre, in downtown Cairo, early this morning.
The blast is one of a spate of bombings to rock Egypt following the ousting of Egypt's former president Mohammed Morsi in July 2013. Hundreds of people, mostly police officers and army guards, have been killed in such attacks, usually blamed on Islamist militants. Egypt's Public Prosecutor Hisham Barakat was killed after suffering injuries in a car bomb that targeted his convoy two weeks ago.
Today's explosion took place in the early morning, on a weekend, during Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, in busy congested Cairo, which explains the lower number of casualties. The powerful explosion was heard across the city, several miles away. Journalists were among the the first at the site of the blast, and reports say that at least four foreign journalists were arrested and later on released for covering the blast.
One of the first journalists at the site of the bomb blast was Wael Mamdooh, who tweeted what he witnessed to his 14.1K followers on Twitter. He tweets:
آثار الدخان في منطقة الإسعاف، وأصوات عربيات شرطة وإسعاف في محيط وسط البلد. pic.twitter.com/pgtI9KumIV
— Wael Mmdooh (@WaelMmdooh_) July 11, 2015
Smoke bellowing from the scene and sounds of police sirens and ambulances in the downtown
He also shares this video from the aftermath of the explosion:
بقايا السيارة المتسببة في تفجير شارع رمسيس بوسط القاهرة. pic.twitter.com/dh4OPydTps
— Wael Mmdooh (@WaelMmdooh_) July 11, 2015
The remains of the car which caused the explosion on Ramsis Street in midtown Cairo
Journalists Harassed and Arrested:
Mamdooh narrates this exchange he had with a police officer, highlighting how he was harassed while carrying out his duty:
وصلت لـ #القنصلية_الإيطالية بعد دقايق من التفجير، وقفني ضابط شرطة: بتعمل إيه؟؛ أنا صحفي.. نظرة شك طويلة يعقبها سؤال ذكي: بتصور ليه طيب؟!!
— Wael Mmdooh (@WaelMmdooh_) July 11, 2015
I arrived at the Italian Consulate a few minutes after the explosion. I was stopped by a police officer who asked: “What are you doing?” I told him I was a journalist. And after a long suspicious look, he asked me a smart question: “Why are you taking photographs?”
Other journalists weren't as lucky. As Omar Elhadi explains:
الشرطة سابوا كل حاجة وماسكين في واحد أجنبي كان بيصور pic.twitter.com/SyiROgwPIj
— Omar Elhady (@O_Elhady) July 11, 2015
The police have left everything and has arrested a foreigner taking photographs
The photographer arrested was David Degner, who takes photographs from Getty Reportage. In a series of tweets, Degner shares some photographs from the scene of the blast, and explains what happened to him:
A couple more photos from the Italian Consolate as the police hold me. 4 journalist held now. pic.twitter.com/J9RFBao6Xp
— David Degner (@degner) July 11, 2015
we are currently held by police. I'm with @EfaSheef @degner and @Walt_Curnow .
— alessandro accorsi (@ali_burrasque) July 11, 2015
Why were the journalists targeted:
Many wondered why journalists were arrested. Degner offers:
We are being held because we arrived on the scene too fast. :S
— David Degner (@degner) July 11, 2015
Dalia Ezzat offers:
Get the journalists first, deal with the chaos later. Typical. https://t.co/0b44Enbxsp
— Dalia Ezzat (@DaliaEzzat_) July 11, 2015
And Her Randomness adds:
هو المفروض انهم لما قبضوا على الصحفيين احنا هنصدق الرواية الرسمية بتاعتهم مثلا؟
— Lala (@Her_Randomness) July 11, 2015
And do they assume that if they arrest the journalists we will believe their official version?
The Official Version:
On Egyptian State TV, a “conspiracy” on what may have happened today was scorned by netizens.
Sarah El Sirgany notes:
Man on state TV says the same explosives used in Italian Consulate were used in other attacks, manufactured in Israel & the US.
— Sarah El Sirgany (@Ssirgany) July 11, 2015
And El Sirgany's tweet was naturally met with skepticism:
@basildabh @Ssirgany not just a random man. He was former assistant to min of interior.
— Dee_Kholaif (@Dee_Kholaif) July 11, 2015