El Warraq area had been slated for a tourism project, says Deputy Governor

El Warraq island in southern Cairo — the site of clashes between residents and police looking to clear the neighborhood — had apparently been slated for a tourism project by the Giza Governorate, Deputy Governor Alaa Horas tells Al Mal. The project was supposed to be part of a wider plan to develop islands along the Nile, he added. As we noted yesterday, the government had said that its move to clear the area was part of the campaign to seize land illegally occupied. One resident had been killed and a number of policemen injured during the clashes, which saw the arrest of 12 people, nine of whom will be prosecuted on assault charges, according to the newspaper.