Egyptian police Thursday (26 February) arrested seven young people for ‘debauchery,’ a charge routinely used to harass gay men.

The seven detainees were identified as ‘transsexuals’ by tabloid Al-Youm el-Saba.

Major General Magdy Moussa of the morality police said the seven ‘perverts’ had formed a ‘network for practicing debauchery’ on social media.

He said police made fake webpages to entrap them and had proof they published naked photos.

Moussa said police arranged to meet them at a club on Al-Haram Road, from where they were told they would taken back to an apartment ‘to participate in debauchery.’

The latest arrests are part of a wider anti-gay crackdown since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi took power in 2013. The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights estimates more than 150 people have been netted in the clampdown.

Egyptian authorities are known to use social media sites such as Facebook and app like Grindr to hunt gay men.

Watch the news report below: