Egyptian Blogger Reveals Identity
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While we are awaiting clarity on whether President Hosni Mubarak remains the head of the ruling National Democratic Party in Egypt-- he is definitely still president, in any case-- here is some news on one of Egypt's leading opposition bloggers.
My colleague Robert Mackey writes:
The Egyptian blogger whose @Sandmonkey Twitter feed and blog have been invaluable sources of news and commentary on the protest movement revealed his identity in an interview with CNN.
The blogger is Mahmoud Salem, a 29-year-old graduate of Northeastern University in Boston. Speaking to Elliot Spitzer on Friday, Mr. Salem described how he and some friends had been attacked by regime supporters and the Egyptian police a day earlier as they attempted to bring medical supplies to the protesters in Tahrir Square.
In the interview, Mr. Salem expressed concern for a fellow blogger who has been missing for more than a week, Wael Ghonim, a Google executive who was in Cairo to take part in the protests when he disappeared.
One of Mr. Salem's friends, a Bloomberg News journalist named Maram Mazen, wrote a harrowing description of the attack on the blogger's car.
Mr. Salem explained to CNN that he decided to come forward because anonymity no longer seemed protective.
"During this week, I've gotten tear-gassed, attacked and almost lynched by an angry mob," he told Mr. Spitzer. "I don't know what else I could be scared of? I think they could like throw me into jail or something, I don't know. There is nothing left anymore."
via The Lede