John Kerry's awkward encounter with Sisi's bodyguard goes viral

Video footage of US Secretary of State John Kerry being accosted by a bodyguard of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has gone viral in Egypt, leading to much ridicule on social media.

The short clip shows Kerry being approached by an overenthusiastic Egyptian security guard ahead of a meeting with Sisi on Thursday in New Delhi, where both statesmen were visiting, and being asked if he had a mobile phone with a camera in his possession.

"Mobile with camera? No camera," the guard can be heard saying.

"What?" Kerry asks before walking off, leaving the secret serviceman looking mildly annoyed.

The Arabic-language hashtag #DoYouHaveACameraPhone has since gained traction on Twitter, poking fun at the cringe-worthy encounter.

Translation: "Guard: Do you have a camera phone? Kerry: No I don't (hands him a crumpled up 20-pound note) Guard: OK get inside and keep it hidden."

Translation: "Have you forgotten your watch, keys, lighter, belt or anything else that will make the alarm go off? If so leave them here at security."

This is not the first time Kerry has been subjected to a highly unusual security check by Egyptian authorities.

In July 2014, the US Secretary of State was thoroughly frisked and inspected with a hand-held metal detector at the presidential palace in Cairo before meeting with Sisi.

Images of the frisking made a splash in the local press, which treated the incident as proof of national pride and a kick in the teeth for the US.

On Sunday, TV talk show host and government propagandist, Ahmad Mousa, said that the security guard's actions were "a message to the world that the Egyptian secret service knows everything."