Khaberni - The Egyptian Public Prosecutor, Counselor Mohamed Shawky, has ordered an urgent investigation into the incident that was circulated on social media which falsely attributed content to the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Dr. Ahmed El-Tayeb.
The Public Prosecution clarified that the investigation would focus on the creation and management of fake pages and groups that impersonate the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, publishing content falsely attributed to him, including insults and misleading public opinion, as well as damaging the Al-Azhar institution.
The Public Prosecutor commissioned the Economic Affairs and Money Laundering Prosecution to start the investigations, examine the documents and electronic links circulated, and take all necessary legal measures in the light of the results of the investigations and inquiries.
This incident comes as part of ongoing efforts to combat cybercrimes targeting public figures and state institutions, with the Public Prosecution having handled many similar cases over the years which concluded with the referral of suspects to trial on charges of impersonation, spreading false news, and harming national unity.
In recent years, Egypt has seen a notable increase in impersonation operations of religious and public figures on social media, particularly through the creation of fake pages bearing the names and pictures of the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, or other religious and political symbols.
These pages often aim to disseminate controversial or offensive content or to mislead, whether for political, sectarian purposes, blackmail, or even to quickly garner interactions and followers, causing embarrassment to state institutions and Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, and repeatedly provoking public outrage.
Since around 2020, the Economic Affairs and Money Laundering Prosecution, which reports to the Public Prosecutor, has been the competent authority to investigate most of these cases, as they fall under information technology crimes, impersonation, and damaging national security or official institutions.
