Politics
Egypt team staffer in altercation with Dallas police
DALLAS — An Egyptian team staffer was involved in an altercation Thursday with a Dallas police officer in the lobby of the team’s hotel, the night before the team’s knockout match against Australia.
A video circulated by Al Jazeera and other outlets shows a man identified as team manager Ibrahim Hassan, a longtime national team player and brother of Egyptian coach Hossam Hassan, in a verbal and physical confrontation with the officer, whose name hasn’t been released.
The video shows the officer trying to block Hassan from approaching two other people. The officer can be seen shouting “back off” and shoving someone, but bystanders block the view of who he shoved. A second man in a T-shirt marked “Egypt” is seen a few seconds later confronting the Dallas officer. The altercation lasted a few more seconds before other people and at least one other Dallas police officer intervened.
The Dallas Police Department said that the incident happened at 10:50 p.m. Thursday at the Westin Hotel and that its officers “responded to the Westin at the request of hotel security regarding an individual without event credentials attempting to gain access.”
“The situation was resolved on scene, and DPD met with representatives of the team to address their concerns. The matter has since been resolved,” the department said in an emailed statement.
The department didn’t respond to follow-up questions via email or voice message, and the Egyptian Embassy and Egyptian Football Association didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.