Eighty-four Egyptian state security officers have been detained and were now being investigated for burning and shredding of police documents, many of which pointed to alleged torture of detainees, according to state media on Wednesday.
The officers are also being investigated for the destruction of computers and hardware that had important state information.
Egypt's general prosecutor ordered the arrests, following days of unrest and protests against the country's controversial State Security Investigations Services (SSIS), long considered an internal spy agency under former president Hosny Mubarak.
Protesters believe security officers were trying to destroy potentially incriminating evidence by burning and shredding thousands of documents.
Calls have increased in the past week for the dissolution of the security services, which are widely viewed as corrupt and violent.
The SSIS is also blamed for excessive use of force against the anti-government demonstrations which led to Mubarak's resignation last month.
At least 350 protesters were killed in those crackdowns.
PHOTO CAPTION
Egyptian lawyers in black robes, at right, are stopped by anti-riot police officers, left, as they stream into Cairo's Tahrir Square, Thursday, Feb. 10, 2011.
Agencies