Three Al-Jazeera journalists, including a highly praised Australian, were arrested for allegedly broadcasting fake news. The arrest took place in Cairo on Dec. 29, 2013.

Randy Gener of The Journalist wrote that the news department of the Web site would agree with other international journalists who demanded the immediate release of the Al-Jazeera journalists. About 40 editors and correspondents from 29 media organizations worldwide sent one letter to the authorities in Egypt, demanding the release.

The letter read that the group of journalists were "deeply concerned" when they came to know that such respected journalists faced charges like belonging to terrorist organizations and circulating fake news endangering national security.

Peter Greste, an acclaimed Aussie who has previously worked for BBC, was among the three Al-Jazeera journalists who got arrested. Other arrested journalists were Baher Mohamed and a Canadian-Egyptian named Mohamed Adel Fahmy who have previously worked for CNN. They are accused of working for a terrorist's group. They are also charged for holding illegal meetings with Muslim Brotherhood, now declared a terrorist organization by the government.

According to Muslim Brotherhood prosecutors, the journalists have apparently agreed so. The journalists were accused of editing video footage for tarnishing the image of Egypt globally. They apparently did so to serve an international terrorist organization. The Egyptian government declared the Brotherhood as a "terrorist organization" after it allegedly planned a suicide-bombing attack in Cairo in December.

On the contrary, Al-Jazeera and its lawyers denied all allegations. Al-Jazeera Spokesman Osama Saeed issued a statement emphasizing that the accusations against the journalists of the news channel "do not stand up to scrutiny." MSN Nine News reported Fahmy does not have any known relation to Muslim Brotherhood.

Egyptian authorities seem to have been enraged by the way Al-Jazeera had a crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood after Mohamed Morsi, the first democratically elected president of the country, was overthrown in July 2013.