A prosecutor has ordered the release of Khaled Mansour, a member of the team behind Egypt’s most-watched satirical show, on L.E. 5,000 bail ($720).
Egypt’s prosecutor-general had ordered the interrogation of Khaled Mansour to question him over a segment titled “Where to next Friday?” where he mocked the expenses required for President Mohamed Mursi to perform Friday prayers.
In the segment, Mansour appeared as a reporter who announced a pseudo competition where the winner had to guess where Mursi would perform his prayers next.
Mansour insisted to the prosecutor on Thursday that the controversial segment was written by Bassem Youssef, the satirist who hosts the show, himself.
Inspired by Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show, al-Bernameg, which airs every Friday on the CBC satellite channel, is known for criticizing the government of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi.
Last month, the country’s chief prosecutor ordered Youssef’s arrest on charges of insulting religion, undermining the president’s standing and disrupting public order.
Youssef, now on vacation, will continue his interrogation when he returns.