Egyptian revolutionary singer stopped from performing before leaders over ‘security concerns’

CAIRO – An Egyptian singer known for his anti-government songs says he was stopped from performing at an arts festival attended by the country’s interim president and military chief for “security concerns.”

Young singer Mohammed Mohsen said on his Facebook page late Friday that representatives from the presidency escorted him out of the Cairo Opera House before the festival began and left him there as the concert Thursday went on without him.

The concert was to revive an old arts festival and was attended by interim President Adly Mansour and military chief Field Marshal Abdel-Fattah El-Sissi, a likely presidential candidate.

Concert co-ordinator Hany Mehana told the private television channel Al-Nahar that there were security concerns about Mohsen and there wasn’t “enough time to investigate.”