Egypt police arrest journalist amid wave of activist arrests

Egyptian police have arrested a journalist after raiding his home amid a new crackdown against dissent, a media watchdog has reported.

The Arab Observatory for Media Freedom said in a statement that security forces detained Mohamed Said Fathy, 33, on Friday.

"Fathy was arrested without legal justification and is so far being held in an unknown location," the statement said.

"His house was raided and ransacked by police, who destroyed some items," it added.

Fathy is a former employee of local daily al-Shorouk.

The arrest comes as Egyptian authorities wage a crackdown on vocal opponents of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Two of those arrested are blogger and journalist Wael Abbas and Shadi Ghazali Harb - one of the youth leaders during the 2011 revolution.

They also include Hazim Abdelazim, who has described his decision to head the youth committee of Sisi's successful 2014 presidential bid as his "biggest mistake".

A month ahead of elections in March, the public prosecutor's office warned the media it would act against the dissemination of "false information" deemed detrimental to the country's "safety and security".

Human rights defenders have regularly accused Sisi of violating public freedoms and suppressing dissent.

The European Union this week condemned Egyptian authorities over the wave of arrests, prompting an angry response from Cairo.