Egyptian police ban flying of kites over ‘national security’ concerns
- Khaled Abu Taleb, a member of parliament’s Defence and National Security Committee, was ridiculed for saying kites might be equipped with cameras
- Kite flying has become popular amid the Covid-19 lockdown in the city
Egyptian police have seized kites from people flying them after a ban by a northern governorate for “safety” reasons and a lawmaker’s warning they posed a “national security threat”.
Police seized 369 kites in Cairo on Friday, Al-Ahram reported, while Akhbar Al-Youm, another state newspaper, said police confiscated 99 kites and fined five people in the northern region of Alexandria.
The ban was brought in “to ensure the safety of citizens after a number of accidents” involving kites, Alexandria’s governorate said this week on its Facebook page.
Fines imposed for kite-flying in the Mediterranean city can reach up to 1,000 pounds (about US$60).
Egypt’s skies have been filled with thousands of colourful paper kites flown by youths from rooftops and on corniches, as the hobby took off during nighttime curfews to limit the spread of coronavirus.