Egypt's Ministry of Interior dismissed on Saturday security alerts issued by a number of foreign embassies in Cairo about potential threats in the capital, saying that there are no reports or information that support such "claims."
A number of embassies in Cairo, including those of the US, the UK, Australia and Canada, issued warnings to their citizens on their websites against being around large gatherings and crowded spaces in Cairo on Sunday 9 October "due to potential security concerns," without giving further details.
Deputy interior minister for media relations Tarek Attia said in a statement on the ministry's official Facebook page that the security situation in the country is under control.
The Egyptian parliament's foreign relations committee denounced the embassies’ statements on Saturday, saying that such security alerts were not issued in countries where terrorist attacks have taken place such as the US, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported.
The committee’s statement added that these warnings coincide with a return of tourism to Egypt, which "implies that they [these countries] are targeting the Egyptian economy."
Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticised on Friday the US embassy's security alert, saying that the embassy did not notify the foreign ministry before issuing the alert.
The foreign ministry also said that the US embassy denied there was a reason for issuing the warning other than it being part of routine procedures during extended holidays.
Foreign embassies in Cairo have repeatedly issued security warnings over the political unrest that followed the 2011 uprising that toppled president Hosni Mubarak.
