Activist: Egyptian authorities arrest brother to silence me

The US-based Egyptian activist whose Facebook page helped ignite the 2011 pro-democracy uprising said authorities have arrested his brother in Cairo.

Wael Ghonim, a computer engineer, said his criticism of Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi prompted authorities to retaliate by detaining his brother and threatening his parents.

Ghonim alleged that the Egyptian Embassy in Washington sent him threats the day before the arrest.

"They told me if I did not stop speaking, something will happen,"" Ghonem said in a video posted on Twitter late Thursday.

He said authorities raided his parents' home and arrested his brother Hazem, whom he described as "a political person," and confiscated his parents' passports and phones.

"They threatened my dad that if I do not stop insulting them, they will escalate," Ghonim said.

The arrest came as Egyptian social media was awash with calls for anti-government protests Friday.

Videos posted by a self-exiled businessman recently claimed large-scale corruption by the military and government, allegations el-Sissi dismissed as "lies."