The hashtag “Your turn, dictator” has been widely shared on Egyptian social media in the past two weeks. Modeled after the 2011 rallying cry “your turn, doctor” used against then-Syrian President Bashar al Assad, the latest hashtag was coined by Ahmad al Mansour, an Egyptian national who recently served in the ranks of Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) in Syria. Since HTS took control of Syria in December, Mansour has posted videos threatening Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi. “Listen, stupid,” Mansour routinely begins his videos.
On Tuesday, January 14, the X account for the “The 25 January Revolutionaries Movement” announced that Mansour and several of his associates were arrested and went missing after he was invited to meet with HTS officials, including Syrian Minster of Defense Murhaf Abu Qasra.
Ahmad Hamad al Mansour was born in Alexandria, with family roots in Sohag, a governate in Upper Egypt. He was educated at Al Azhar’s Al Asafra School for Outstanding Students in Al Boaouth Al Islameya City, an Islamic mission city that’s part of the Al Azhar educational infrastructure. He later attended the Institute for Preparing Preachers, where he trained in religious sermonizing.
Following his religious studies, Mansour enrolled in Egypt’s Naval Academy, majoring in logistics and graduating at the top of his class. During this time, he was involved in humanitarian missions to Gaza.
Mansour became politically active during the 2011 Egyptian revolution, participating in protests organized through the “We Are Khaled Said” Facebook page, a platform that helped spark and organize protests resulting in the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak.
During the 2013 military coup that removed Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammed Morsi, Mansour participated in sit-ins and was reportedly a witness to the Rabaa massacre in August 2013. In November 2013, he left Egypt for Syria.
After arriving in Syria, Mansour pursued a master’s degree in administration and economics. He joined Jaish al Fatah, or the Army of Conquest, an alliance of several Sunni Islamist Syrian rebel factions that formed in 2015 and participated in the Syrian Civil War. It was during this time that he joined Hayat Tahrir al Sham.
On December 21, Mansour announced his resignation from his position in Hayat Tahrir al Sham on X.
On January 10, Mansour posted a photo of himself flanked by several masked men, sitting in front of a banner reading “The 25 January Revolutionaries Movement.” The banner also displayed Egypt’s monarchy-era flag, while a gun and a single bullet were placed on the table in front of him.
As a part of his new movement, Mansour has released four demands: first, the overthrow of President Sisi. Second, the cessation of the military’s involvement in politics. Third, the release of political prisoners. Fourth, the return of the goals of the 25 January Revolution: “Bread, freedom, human dignity.”
In his last X post prior to his reported arrest, Mansour issued a message to President Sisi: “My problem with you is with you personally. […] Your price is one bullet, and Egypt’s problem will end.”
