CAIRO: The death of a Salafi preacher in Alexandria is the result of torture by State Security, alleges local newspapers. Sayyed Bilal was reported dead 24 hours after being arrested as a person of interest in connection with the suicide bombing outside an Alexandrian church on New Year's Eve. On Saturday Egyptian authorities said they will investigate the allegations, after the family of the 31-year-old Bilal filed a communication to the Public Prosecutor. Several independent news websites reported that Bilal was tortured to death on Wednesday then buried against the will of his family on Thursday. Photos of Bilal's body, showing signs of being subjected to torture on his face, were shown on news websites after widely circulating on Salafi websites. A video showing the physical abuse to Bilal's body was also circulated. The Alexandria District Attorney's Office ordered an investigation after Bilal's family filed a complaint on Friday, said Lawyer Haitham Abu Khalil of Alexandria-based Dhahaya, or ‘victims' Center for Human Rights. Salafis, who enjoy a stronghold in Alexandria, were accused of inciting anti-Christian sentiments through religious sermons and television programs. A Facebook page dedicated to Khaled Saeed, an earlier victim of Alexandrian police brutality, posted the photo of Bilal. The page has become a platform for exposing such incidents and for rallying public support since Said's death after a brutal beating by two plainclothes policemen in June 2010. On Saturday, the Leader of the National Assembly for Change and the former Director of the IAEA, Dr. Mohammed El Baradei, called for holding those who tortured Bilal accountable if the allegations were genuine, adding on Twitter that torture is a crime against humanity and that he is waiting for the results of the investigations. BM
