Egyptian conspiracy theorist threatens to send puppet to jail

CAIRO, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Egyptian conspiracy theorist Ahmed Zebidar accused mobile phone company Vodafone of urging Egyptians to protest against former President Hosni Mubarak.

The self-proclaimed singer and poet confronted Abla Fahita, a comedic puppet featured in the British mobile phone company's advertisements, on television Tuesday, vowing to send the character to prison, Ahram Online reported Thursday.

The accusations against the company were initially triggered by music composer and singer Amr Mostafa, who said the company's slogan, "the power is in your hands," was a hidden message to Egyptians to protest against Mubarak.

Zebidar said Fahita previously mentioned the word "bomb" during an ad for Dolce Ice Cream just before several deadly bombings in Egyptian. The conspiracy theorist said a hidden message in the more recent Vodafone ad featuring Fahita indicated there would be more terrorist attacks in January, including a bombing of a shopping mall.

"I am a mere comedic sarcastic character," the puppet character said in her defense Wednesday during a television interview before the confrontation with Zebidar.

Zebidar filed a complaint against Vodafone Egypt over his accusations.

Vodafone issued a statement saying prosecutors contacted the company to investigate what it called the "irrational" accusations. The company said its slogan and advertisement are only "marketing aiming at explaining how to reactivate a Vodafone sim card and attract audience to the product."

"The advertisement carries no other meaning," the statement said. "And any other interpretation other than that is mere imagination or personal opinion of some of the audience."