Egypt authorities ban kite flying citing 'security' risk, lawmaker trolled on social media

In a bizarre turn of events, Egypt has decided to ban kite flying as authorities claim they have reasons to believe that it may pose a serious 'national security risk'. In response to the ban, the Egyptian police have been seizing kites as well as imposing fines on people for flying kites then despite the ban.

Kites seized and fines imposed

As per reports, authorities in Egypt have seized almost 400 kites in the country's capital Cairo and about 99 kites from the northern region of Alexandria while five people have been slapped with fines. A Facebook post by Alexandria's governorate claimed that the ban has been imposed to ensure people's safety after a number of kite flying related accidents were reported.

According to reports, Egypt has been fining people the amount equivalent to $60 for flying kites. The activity shot to popularity again in the wake of night time curfews during the coronavirus lockdown, when the country's youth was encouraged to take up the hobby in a big way. But the thousands of kites in the skies have resulted in a lot of complaints, including one from Egyptian lawmaker Khaled Abu Taleb.

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The lawmaker, who is also a member of the Defense and National Security Committee, has reportedly sent his complaint directly to the Egyptian Prime Minister.

Egyptian parliamentarian Abu Taleb has claimed that there were real possibilities of kites being retrofitted with surveillance equipment and used for spying on Egypt. This line of thinking has resulted in the lawmaker being severely trolled on social media.

In June, Egypt lifted the three-month curfew that had been put in place in a bid to curb the coronavirus outbreak. Egypt has reported 81,158 positive coronavirus cases and 3,769 deaths according to the John Hopkins Coronavirus data centre.

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