Israel Matzav

What happened to the Sandmonkey

A Cairo-based blogger whose site was yanked down by the government said he was stopped by "pro-Mubarak goons" while trying to deliver medical supplies as the police took away his car keys and phone, letting crowds attack the group of people he was with and destroy his car.

"I was beaten in my face, scratched. There was glass everywhere from all the glass they shattered," said Mahmoud Salem, 29, who writes the blog Sandmonkey.org.

Salem was traveling with two other men and two women Thursday afternoon in a Kia Sorrento.

"The Cops took away my key and phone and had us stay in the car when people gathered around us, people were walking on top of the car, breaking off the side view mirror, throwing it to break other windows, kicking the car on all sides," Salem said. "We were there for 35 minutes while I was begging police to save the car, or let us leave because the girls were terrified. People were grabbing rope and telling us they would lynch us. It was a horrific experience."

The group was then taken to a police station where they waited for about two hours before being released. No police reports were filed. He was never given back his phone, but he was given back the car's front license plate - the only thing left of it after it was destroyed by the angry crowds.

Labels: Egyptian regime change, Egyptian riots, Sandmonkey

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 4:43 AM