Man awaits detention after video surfaces of harassing boy on train

CAIRO – 13 June 2021: A man on a train who appeared in a video purportedly putting a boy’s head in his lap has been identified by the authorities, but is yet to be arrested, Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper reported on Sunday.

The video surfaced on social media on Saturday, showing the boy sitting in a window seat beside the man with his face down at the man’s lap, though most of the time hidden behind the man’s galabiya, a traditional loose garment worn by some rural Egyptians.

The passengers who filmed the video said the incident took place on Friday in a train going from Giza to Aswan, Upper Egypt, where he found the alleged perpetrator suspicious in the presence of a beggar boy. All passengers were asleep, as it was 11 a.m. and it is usually around 12 hours from Giza to Aswan.

The passenger subtly directed his phone at the man and started filming and pretended to sleep. He later checked his phone and found the disturbing video, engaging in a scuffle with the man while other passengers watched on. The man left the train in a station in Asyut governorate.

The police have sent the video to the prosecution and await an arrest order.