In September, Egyptians did something that no one really

saw coming:

They defied Egypt's strongman, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi,

by going out in public and calling

on him to step down.

But the bold outburst was short-lived.

[shooting]

Police hit back with tear gas and rubber bullets,

then random searches, road closings,

and more than 2,000 arrests.

It was the largest sweep since Sisi came to power in 2014.

The message was clear:

Dissent will not be tolerated.

And to crush his opposition, Sisi

called on what has become his standard playbook.

[shooting]

[screams]

While visiting with President Trump at the U.N.,

Sisi blamed his favorite boogeyman, the Islamists.

But the arrests back in Egypt have been wide-ranging

and include pro-democracy advocates, academics,

lawyers and journalists.

Human rights lawyer Mahienour El-Massry

was arrested in front of a courthouse.

Her sister said she was forced into a vehicle

by plainclothes officers.

“The way she was arrested, it was really, really shocking

because it was almost a kidnap.”

Alaa Abdel Fattah, a secular blogger,

was arrested while he was in jail.

He was on probation for a previous conviction.

“The regime years ago decided to make symbols out

of specific people and so charge at them whenever

they want to set an example to other revolutionaries

or other opposition, and so on.”

And in many cases, those arrested

appear to have been plucked at random, like this young man.

Witnesses said Ahmed El Agroudy and two friends

were arrested while walking to their car after a night out.

“I felt helpless.

We weren't allowed to go into the police station.

Please just let us see him.”

Now, many face arbitrary charges like terrorism

and spreading fake news.

The protests appear to have been instigated

by this man, Mohamed Ali.

Ali is a contractor, who worked for the military,

and says he's now living in self-imposed exile in Spain.

He claims the government robbed him.

And he's used his rants to try to appeal

to everyday Egyptians, people struggling to make ends meet.

Ali accuses Sisi and the military

of squandering the country's money on vanity projects.

Sisi's response: so what?

Across Egypt, images of the spreading unrest

were widely shared over social media.

The police tried to block it.

This video appears to show police officers shooting

at a woman who was filming from her balcony.

[shooting]

[screams]

And shortly after this man live-streamed the clashes

unfolding in front of him, he posted one final message

that day.

Within a week, Cairo, normally loud and beyond busy,

was on total lockdown — silenced.

Except for this, a well-organized, pro-Sisi rally.

Sisi's playbook seems to be working, for now.