Story highlights
Egypt's Minister of Justice Ahmed al-Zind has been relieved of his post, state media says
Days earlier Al-Zind's reference to the Prophet Mohammed in an interview sparked criticism
Egypt’s Justice Minister has been “relieved” of his post, amid widespread criticism of televised comments he made that many considered blasphemous.
Ahmed al-Zind was stood down on Sunday, according to Egyptian state media.
No official reason was given for the sacking but the move comes days after al-Zind, in response to a television host’s question regarding whether he would imprison journalists, answered: “Even if it was Prophet [Mohammed].”
The comment caused widespread criticism on social media and spawned a Twitter hashtag calling for him to be tried.
Al-Zind quickly issued an apology, describing the comment as a “slip of the tongue.”
He had been Egypt’s Justice Minister since May last year.
CNN’s Susannah Cullinane contributed to this report.