Egyptian police officer demands right of asylum in Switzerland

The Egyptian authorities prevented yesterday an Egyptian police officer from presenting a request to get the right of asylum in Switzerland on allegations he was exposed to threats although he received an entry visa from Switzerland's embassy in Cairo that is valid for 16 months.

In a statement today, the Egyptian Ministry of Interior said the prevention came due to accusing Brigadier General Mohammed El-Ghannam, manager of the legal investigation department in the ministry, of two attempted murders. The first was when he shot workers in the police hospital after his father's death as Ghannam accused the treating doctor of negligence, while the second was when he shot a citizen due to conflict over a piece of land.

The statement said that Ghannam's name is not on the lists of those prevented from traveling and that he was prevented for administrative reasons that were not revealed in the statement.