CAIRO - The Interior Ministry used snipers to kill demonstrators during the January 25 revolution, an Al-Masry Al-Youm investigation has revealed.
This revelation contradicts current Interior Minister Mansour al-Essawy, who has repeatedly denied that the Interior Ministry ever had sniper units within its security forces.
Al-Masry Al-Youm has obtained official Interior Ministry documents classified as "top secret and not for publication."
The documents contain the names of sniper teams that were paid by the Interior Ministry, which at the time was run by Habib al-Adly. They also disclose the different government locations at which these units received their training.
Retired General Mohamed Nasser, one of the founders of the Interior Ministry's international terrorism department, stressed the existence of "sniper elements" in the department.
Interior Ministry snipers usually use 800-meter-range rifles, Nasser said, adding that their bullets penetrate the body swiftly, accurately, and deeply. He also said that the units use many different types of rifles.
The fact-finding committee set up by the Egyptian government to investigate the killing of protesters in Tahrir Square during the revolution found that "the police fired live ammunition while hunting [protesters] from the roofs of the buildings overlooking Tahrir Square."
Al-Masry Al-Youm also obtained a document dated February 1 from the Interior Ministry's operations room containing an order for two snipers to begin an operation.
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Photo - RamyRaoof
