CAIRO - The recent Egyptian revolution witnessed thugs armed with knives, home-made guns and petrol bombs running amok across the country. It appears that the violence was a form or retaliation organised by the regime of the ex-president Hosni Mubarak, according to the incumbent Government, represented by Minister of Interior General Mansour el-Eissawi. Many people argue that this violence, that includes the sectarian violence between Muslims and Copts, is the price Egyptians should pay for toppling Mubarak, his family and his close associates. It is also thought that wealthy businessmen, close to Mubarak, have been helping finance these gangsters, while the Government hasn't denied that some senior, still serving police generals are responsible for orchestrating the violence that has plagued Egypt for the past four months. It would seem that the Mubarak regime told senior prison officials to release their charges (the inmates), so they could attack people in their homes and raid shops and banks. It has further been suggested that pro-Mubarak thugs have been behind the tragic clashes between Muslims and Copts. Tens of people have been killed, hundreds injured and three churches torched in the past two months alone. However, many citizens and political activists insist that the Ministry of Interior should be held accountable for not getting tough on criminals and lawbreakers. Discontented citizens believe that the police well know where many dangerous escaped convicts and other criminals are hiding, and that they could raid these places if they wanted. “The Government should do more to re-establish security across the nation and toughly punish offenders,” said Shukri Hassan, a shop assistant. Slums encircling posh districts in Cairo and other big cities are like incubators for hardened criminals, who return to their lairs there at night, to rest before resuming their criminal activities the next morning, say experts. It would be unwise for strangers to wander into these poor districts, locally known as popular areas, they add. Ironically, these thugs have been cashing in on the revolution. Regrettably, unemployment keeps increasing, but this doesn't stop many criminals from growing rich from their illegal 'work'. “They get well paid for torching police stations, court buildings or attacking hospitals and clinics,” said a policeman on condition of anonymity. “This is a new kind of job that has appeared since the unrest started.”
