Egyptian police arrest entire newsroom of investigative outlet over alleged Muslim Brotherhood ties

Egyptian police conducted a full raid on the newsroom of the digital investigative platform Matsaddash on Monday evening, arresting all six journalists on its staff, according to the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR). The EIPR is providing the journalists with legal representation after the arrests. The arrests reportedly took place while plainclothes security personnel were confiscating electronic devices from the journalists' homes earlier in the day, as reported by the EIPR.

Egypt's interior ministry accused Matsaddash of being a part of the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood’s media apparatus, stating that the site was managed from abroad. The ministry alleged that the outlet was operating in conjunction with Brotherhood elements inside the country. However, Matsaddash vehemently denied these accusations, pointing to instances where the outlet had issued corrections to what it described as misinformation published by Brotherhood-affiliated media outlets.

Egypt officially designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization in 2013, following the army's ousting of democratically elected President Mohamed Mursi, who was a member of the Brotherhood. Since then, Egyptian journalists and activists have frequently faced arrests on charges of spreading false news and rumors. The Committee to Protect Journalists states that there are currently 19 journalists detained in Egypt.

The State Information Service, which facilitates communication between foreign media and state agencies, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.