Egypt's Interior Ministry said security forces had investigated a social media post, supported by images and video, alleging that two men had damaged a kiosk in Menoufia province and been prevented from using drugs nearby. The ministry said the investigation revealed a different account.
The incident dated to August 19, when the Ashmoun police station received a complaint from the kiosk owner, who said two men had verbally abused him and damaged the structure with a wooden stick, the ministry said. Investigators determined the confrontation stemmed from a verbal dispute after the kiosk owner objected to the men sitting nearby, not from a dispute over drug use as the social media post claimed.
Police apprehended both men, who were identified as workers living in the Ashmoun district. When confronted, they acknowledged the incident and confirmed the verbal altercation was over their seating, the ministry said. They denied possessing or using narcotics, and instead accused the kiosk owner of defaming them.
The ministry said both parties reconciled with the kiosk owner after the incident. Legal proceedings were taken and the public prosecutor's office opened an investigation.
