Egypt on Tuesday dissolved an internal security and spying agency whose reputation for brutality helped ignite the uprising that swept Hosni Mubarak from power last month. The Interior Ministry replaced state security with a new National Security Force, which would serve "the nation without interfering in the lives of citizens or their right to exercise their political rights", the state news agency reported.
The new security agency would be tasked with guarding internal security and fighting terrorism in line with the constitution and the principles of human rights. The dissolution of state security was one of the main demands of the activists who rose up against Mubarak, forcing him to step down on February 11 and hand power to the military.