Prominent Egyptian blogger hands himself in to authorities

PanARMENIAN.Net - A prominent Egyptian blogger handed himself in to authorities on Tuesday, March 26 a day after the country's prosecutor general ordered his arrest along with four others for allegedly instigating violence with comments posted on social media, AP reported.

The charges stem from clashes between supporters and opponents of the country's Islamist president last week that left 200 injured.

Activists say the accusations against blogger Alaa Abdel-Fattah may herald a wave of arrests of opposition leaders. They follow closely on an angry televised warning by President Mohammed Morsi that he would soon take exceptional measures in the face of violence.

Abdel-Fattah, wearing a prison jumpsuit to show his readiness to face jail, arrived at the Cairo office of Prosecutor General Talaat Abdullah surrounded by dozens of protesters chanting slogans denouncing Morsi's and his group, the Muslim Brotherhood.

From inside the prosecutor's office, the blogger posted messages on Twitter saying most of the accusations were based on comments sent to his account by others, rather than anything he posted himself.

Abdel Fattah said he refused to answer Abdullah's questions.