CAIRO: Coordinator of Islamist presidential hopeful Hazem Salah Abou Ismail's campaign in Alexandria said his 16-year-old sister was kidnapped from their home on Thursday. Mohamed El-Halabawy, who is known for his critical views of the ruling military council, told Daily News Egypt that he cannot confirm whether his sister was abducted due to his support for Abou Ismail. “My mother was hospitalized in the intensive care unit so we had to leave my sister Nagham alone at home for two hours,” El-Halabawy said. “When I came back home, it was clear from havoc that there was a struggle and that she tried to resist her kidnappers,” he added, “A small amount of money was stolen but I do not know yet if the kidnapper is really a thief or only wants it to appear this way.” El-Halabawy said that even though the media is propagating the issue as political, “I am reluctant to make it a national issue and then it turns out to be a personal one or an abduction due to the security vacuum we are witnessing.” He, however, believes the kidnappers had been watching them, since they chose to break in when his sister was alone in the house. “We haven't been contacted yet by the kidnappers to know if they want a ransom or not,” he said.
