Watch: Al Jazeera live broadcast interrupted by Egypt army raid

Egypt’s military-led authorities shut down three Islamist-run TV stations on Wednesday including one operated by the Muslim Brotherhood after President Mohamed Mursi was toppled by the army, drawing a statement of concern from a press freedom watchdog.

The security forces also raided the offices of Al Jazeera‘s Egyptian news channel and detained at least five of its staff, four of whom were later released.

“Our correspondents reported being interrupted during a live broadcast, with presenters and guests being arrested”, Al Jazeera said in a report.

“Al Jazeera’s Egyptian station began broadcasting after the 2011 revolution that topped President Hosni Mubarak and has been accused by critics of being sympathetic to Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood”, it added.

In the video above, a viewer has filmed the live broadcast that got interrupted by the army. You can hear the live commentary getting interrupted with shouts, ostensibly by the army personnel before everything goes silent.

The authorities also shut down two other Islamist-run stations, Al-Hafiz and Al-Nas, security sources said. Both are affiliated to the strict Salafi Islamist movement.

“We are concerned by reports that authorities are shutting down television coverage based on political perspective,” said Sherif Mansour of the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists. “We urge the military not to deprive Egyptians of information sources at this important juncture.”

With inputs from Reuters