Former Al Jazeera English bureau chief Mohamed Fahmy, jailed for more than a year in Egypt, talked to MSNBC’s Morning Joe Tuesday, saying it was his fellow journalists Peter Greste and Baher Mohamed, who helped him survive. “Peter and Baher were like brothers of mine in that cell.”
Fahmy says the most difficult challenge beyond the legal challenge of overcoming charges he aided the Muslim Brotherhood, was trying to exist in prison alongside Al Qaeda fighters and ISIS sympathizers. “Living with these crazy people was tough, because we’re journalists and we’re accused of a crime we did not commit.”
Fahmy said he watched as young men who were arrested slowly became radicalized while in prison. “It was really troubling seeing them turn into monsters right in front of my eyes,” he said.