He was interrogated for the first time in 2006,[1] a year in which a close friend of his may have been tortured and killed in state custody.[2] Ashmawy was accused during the investigation of holding radical and inciting views aimed at state institutions.[10] He severed ties with most of his army and SSI colleagues following the death of his friend, according to Ashmawy's nephew.[4] He was tried in 2007 for continued incitement, and was reassigned to an administrative post in the Popular Defense Forces branch of the Egyptian military.