Another interesting point is that he claims to be from Alexandria. Right now, transportation between Egyptian cities is so bad that he can only have been brought by a government vehicle. In fact, most of the pro-Mubarak protesters that were arrested were unemployed men from outside Cairo: how did they all make it to Tahrir square?

I’m not sure why this man agreed to a video confession. I think he was trying to get people to feel sorry for him, by saying that he came from a very poor family, that he had lost his mother and had no choice but to accept money to join pro-Mubarak protesters. Maybe he hoped his captors wouldn’t hand him over to the army. Rumour has it that rioters who are handed over to the army are swiftly tried in a military court, with no real chance to defend themselves. There’s no official law stating this, but most people seem to think it’s the case. Maybe that’s what this young man was trying to avoid.”