In a coordinated information operation, dozens of Facebook assets associated with the Egyptian newspaper El Fagr masqueraded as regional news outlets and amplified content on domestic news and political topics.

In all, Facebook removed 163 Facebook accounts, 51 pages, 33 groups, and four Instagram accounts for coordinated inauthentic behavior originating from Egypt.

In its announcement, Facebook stated:

The people behind this activity used fake accounts — some of which had previously been disabled by our automated systems — to manage Pages posing as independent local news organizations, post in Groups, amplify their content and drive people to off-platform domains. Some of these Pages appear to be purchased and some changed names over time […] Although the people behind this activity attempted to conceal their identities, our investigation found links to an Egyptian newspaper El Fagr.

A majority of the removed pages posted content about Egyptian politics, praising the current government led by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and denouncing the Muslim Brotherhood for sowing chaos in Egypt. The pages also pushed narratives casting cooperation between Egypt and Saudi Arabia in a positive light, while simultaneously spreading messages critical of Qatar, Turkey, Iran, and the Houthi movement in Yemen.

The DFRLab found evidence of coordination among the pages, including identical posts within a short timeframe as well as connections to El Fagr Editor-in-Chief Mostafa Thabet. Separately, frequent changes to the names of the pages suggested that they may have been purchased and repurposed as part of this operation.

Heavily pro-Egyptian government

Among the removed assets, the DFRLab found only praise or positive spin for Egypt’s leadership, including posts that highlighted President el-Sisi’s role in developing higher education and scientific research and implementing the comprehensive health insurance system. The pages also portrayed the President as a leader who always listens to his people.