- MB in International press
- March 3, 2006
- 2 minutes read
Muslim Brotherhood activists arrested
Egyptian security forces on Friday arrested seven student activists from the banned Muslim Brotherhood, an official for the group said.
Abdul Munem Mahmoud, the Muslim Brotherhood official, said seven members of the group, all university organizers, were arrested during a raid on their Cairo apartment.
“Security men broke into the apartment and arrested the young men and took them to an unknown destination,” Mahmoud said. “They were only arranging a protest against the offensive cartoons of our great prophet.”
A police official confirmed the arrest.
“The men attached to the Brotherhood were having a meeting in their place, which is banned by the government,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The Brotherhood, officially banned but somewhat tolerated by the government, in December said authorities detained more than 1,250 of its supporters during parliamentary elections – mostly in retaliation for the group’s success at the polls.
The Muslim Brotherhood emerged from Egypt’s parliamentary elections with nearly 20 percent of the seats establishing a powerful opposition bloc. The Brotherhood fielded candidates as nominal independents whose sympathies are widely known by voters.