Egypt launches fresh investigation against Egypt's popular satirist Bassem Youssef

          
Egypt's state security prosecution is probing fresh complaints against popular satirist Bassem Youssef, who is already on bail following charges of insulting President Morsi and offending religion.              

Judicial sources and Youssef said the public prosecutor ordered the investigation on Monday following a complaint filed by a lawyer.                  

"A new complaint against me has been filed to state security prosecution, for spreading rumors and false news, and disturbing public tranquility after the last episode," Youssef said via Twitter.           

A source from the prosecutor's office said that the prosecutor also ordered the investigation into complaints against two journalists over a television program tackling Youssef's case.            

One of the journalists was identified as Shaimaa Aboul El Kir, who works as a Middle East consultant for the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

The journalist said that she was being investigated for an interview in which she defended Youssef.           

Prosecutors are also investigating the anchor of El Kir channel, Jaber al-Qarmuti, who spoke on the show aired by television channel ONTV.          

The head of the CBC television channel which airs his weekly program Albernameg (The Show) is also being investigated in the probe alongside Youssef.             

On Monday, the United States expressed concern at the proceedings against Youssef, saying it was evidence of a "disturbing trend" of mounting restrictions on freedom of expression.                   

Rights lawyers say there have been four times as many lawsuits for insulting the president under Morsi's reign than during the entire 30 years of Mubarak's era.