Egypt Opens Criminal Inquiry Over New York Times Article<br />After the article was published, Egypt’s State Information Service said in a statement<br />that no one named Ashraf al-Kholi worked for the intelligence service and denied the accuracy of the Times report.<br />The speaker of Parliament, Ali Abdel Aal, said the article proved<br />that The Times was allied with the Brotherhood and with Qatar, which has supported the Brotherhood, and was stoking controversy in advance of presidential elections, state media reported.<br />The State Information Service, which also called the Times report "inappropriate," said<br />that Egypt had repeatedly declared its "inalienable position on Jerusalem." Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told reporters, "Egypt does not speak with two faces." In addition, a lawyer in Alexandria lodged a criminal complaint against The Times.<br />10, 2018<br />Egypt’s prosecutor general has ordered a criminal investigation over a New York Times article<br />that described a covert effort by Egyptian intelligence to sway public opinion in favor of accepting President Trump’s decision recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.<br />"We disclosed in the original report that the audio recordings were provided to The Times by an intermediary supportive of the Palestinian cause,<br />but we had no agenda other than giving our readers the facts they needed to know." Egypt, which fought three wars against Israel, has positioned itself for decades as a champion of the Palestinian cause, which remains an emotional cause for most Arabs.<br />Mostafa el-Gendy, a lawmaker, said of The Times: "They are truly at war with Egypt,<br />and are seeking to bring down the nation, not just the state or the president." The Times quoted leaked audio recordings of an intelligence officer, Capt.
