Terrorism and Kebab

Ahmed joins the long queue inside Cairo's Mogamma and hopes for a simple school transfer for his children. The bureaucratic maze slows him to a crawl as hundreds of citizens line up, all seeking favors from a system that often feels indifferent. The scene establishes the building as a monumental symbol of everyday grievance.

A government clerk blocks Ahmed's progress while praying, stalling work and fueling Ahmed's frustration. Tempers flare into a scuffle, and a guard's rifle ends up in Ahmed's hands as chaos erupts. The moment marks a tipping point from complaint to confrontation.

In the confusion, a mass evacuation erupts through the spiral staircases as people seek safety. Ahmed is mistaken for a terrorist and ends up taking the building hostage along with a few misfits who join him, including Shalabi and Hind. The standstill inside the Mogamma begins to redefine the crisis.

The unlikely trio joins others inside, and the hostage group grows as more people reveal their own grievances. The inside dynamic becomes central to the stand-off, complicating the authorities' response and triggering broader sympathy from bystanders.

Police introduce a child with a walkie talkie to communicate directly with Ahmed. The boy becomes a fragile line of dialogue in the stand-off, while both sides weigh the risk of negotiation against force. The image emphasizes a disconnect between the demands and the reality on the ground.

Ahmed and the hostage group negotiate from inside, threatening to blow up the building with gas cylinders if their demands are not met. The Minister of Interior remains unaware of the group’s true aims, complicating any resolution. The scene centers on the fragility of communication between authorities and civilians.

With no clear list of demands, Ahmed whimsically calls for kebab for every hostage because meat is expensive in the country. The holdout continues as the group uses humor and delay to maintain leverage. This moment underscores the absurdity that has overtaken the crisis.

As night settles, authorities plan to storm the Mogamma and restore order. The operation is visible through stairwells and windows as the sense of a ticking clock grows louder. The plan hinges on breaching the interior and ending the stand-off.

The plan to assault the building is stalled when Ahmed uses the fire hose to thwart a fire truck ladder. The stand-off continues as the initial breach fails. The improvisational nature of the crisis heightens the tension inside the Mogamma.

Hind and Shalabi fire warning shots and drop a gas cylinder on the ground floor, causing a large explosion. Despite the drama, no troops are harmed and the assault team withdraws to regroup. The danger inside the building persists as the stand-off continues.

Ahmed realizes he has no concrete demands beyond living a normal life with his children. He asks the hostages about their own grievances, and their stories collectively push for a cabinet resignation. The moment shifts the crisis toward political accountability.

Government ministers dismiss the demands as heresy and order news channels to report that a deal has been reached. They vow to use all necessary force to retake the building and return the government to work. The media narrative and political pressure fuse to shape the crisis's outcome.

The crowd insists that Ahmed not stay behind and instead exits with the hostages. His leadership is embraced by the people around him, transforming the stand-off into a protest against the state from within the building. The moment marks a turning point toward collective action.

Ahmed walks out of the Mogamma unnoticed among his former hostages, while commandos process the empty building. The scene closes on an ambiguous note about who really controls the situation. The film ends with the security forces discovering the building empty.