BBC’s Jeremy Bowen Wounded In Egypt Clashes
The BBC’s Jeremy Bowen was wounded on Friday during clashes in Egypt following the ouster of the country’s President Mohammed Morsi.
Bowen was pictured with a patch of dried blood on the side of his head and a white gauze bandage around the top of his head following an incident in Cairo.
The photo was tweeted by journalist Sharif Kouddous, along with the caption, “BBC reporter @BowenBBC hit in the head with birdshot. He’s ok.”
The injured BBC editor later added on Twitter, “Thanks for the messages. I’ve been hit by a couple of shotgun pellets. Am fine and heading out.” It seems even a couple of pellet wounds wouldn’t atop Bowen from covering the deadly clashes in the Middle Eastern nation.
After talking about his injury, Bowen tweeted, “Big forces against each other in #egypt. If can’t channel this into political action not street conflict it is a recipe for more bloodshed.”
The BBC explained that it was aware of Jeremy Bowen’s wound. The veteran Middle East editor has been at the heart of the conflict in Egypt and was near demonstrators in the capital on Friday when Egyptian troops opened fire at Morsi’s supporters. He recalled:
“I saw it all. There was a large demonstration outside the officers’ club of the Presidential club – a compound which Morsi, the deposed president, they believe he is being held at.”
BBC reporter @BowenBBC hit in the head with birdshot. He’s ok. pic.twitter.com/2ihAmOvpDL
— Sharif Kouddous (@sharifkouddous) July 5, 2013
Bowen went on to explain that the crowd got more angry and surged forward. The army opened fire without using teargas first. He added, “Initially I though it was in the air and then I saw the weapons were leveled.”
Along with the wound to his ear, Bowen also sustained pellet wounds to his leg, according to The Mirror journalist Alun Palmer, who helped Bowen’s cameraman tend his wounds. The BBC editor added, “I’ve been in a lot of hairy situations as a reporter over many years but I have never been hit by anything.”
While Jeremy Bowen was wounded, Friday’s clashes in Egypt killed dozens.
[Image via Twitter]
