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Egyptian Security Services Arrest Entire Newsroom within 24 Hours

Occrp • September 30, 2026

Egyptian security services have arrested six journalists between Monday and Tuesday, all working for local independent investigative journalism platform Matsadaash. According to a statement published by the news platform on Wednesday, the crackdown began with raids on the homes of two of the journalists on Monday evening and early Tuesday morning. Over the following hours, authorities raided the homes of the other journalists working for the platform, without providing “any clear explanation for this escalation or its legal basis,” the statement said.

“With these latest arrests, the entire editorial team in the Matsadaash newsroom is now in detention.”

In a separate statement , the journalists’ legal representative, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, said that all six journalists' whereabouts remain unknown, adding that they have not been allowed to their families or legal team.

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The full story

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Egyptian Security Forces Arrest Entire Matsaddash Newsroom On September 30, 2026, Egyptian security forces arrested six journalists from the independent news platform Matsaddash within 24 hours, effectively detaining the entire editorial team. The crackdown began with raids on the homes of two journalists on Monday evening and continued with further arrests throughout Tuesday. The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) represents the detained journalists, whose whereabouts remain unknown, and they have not been allowed contact with families or legal counsel. The arrests were conducted without any clear explanation or legal basis, raising concerns about the freedom of the press in Egypt. This incident adds to the growing number of journalists detained in the country, bringing the total to 26. Matsaddash has been recognized for its work in fact-checking and debunking misinformation in Egypt and the Arab region. 2 sources 62

Extracted Entities

Malware (1)

Pegasus