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The Egyptian authorities said on Thursday that they were investigating a video of a woman being attacked by a mob of men that has ignited widespread outrage over the country’s longstanding problems with sexual violence.
The New Year's Eve video showed several dozen men tossing around a screaming woman wearing a black miniskirt and fur coat.
Some of the men brandished sticks and jumped on top of a car, into which the woman eventually climbed. The handful of men who got her into the car were apparently trying to help her escape the assault, which took place in the Nile Delta town of Mansoura early Wednesday.
A senior police officer said the attackers have yet to be identified. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.
In October, Egypt was stunned when a teenage boy was fatally stabbed while defending a girl from sexual harassment. The three teenage attackers were each sentenced to 15 years in prison last month.
Egypt toughened its sexual harassment laws in 2014. A broader definition of harassment is now punishable by up to five years in prison.