Top Muslim Brotherhood Leader Arrested In Egypt

Mohamed el-Beltagy A senior leader of the Muslim Brotherhood,
Mohamed el-Beltagy, has been arrested by the
Egyptian police, the latest arrest in a widening
campaign against the group. Beltagy, a former member of parliament and
head of the Brotherhood’s Freedom and
Justice Party, was arrested in Giza governorate,
just outside of the Egyptian capital, state
television reported on Thursday. Beltagy was wanted on accusations that he
incited violence and has been hunted by
authorities for nearly three weeks. In a videotaped message aired by Al Jazeera
earlier this week, he said that authorities were
trying to turn a “political crisis” into a security
problem by accusing his group of
orchestrating a terrorism campaign. “Don’t be fooled by these lies and deception
that aim to label us with terrorism, violence,
[and] killing … at a time when the hands of
the coup regime are drowned in blood,”
Beltagy said. He went into hiding earlier this month after
authorities violently broke up protest
encampments held by supporters of President
Mohamed Morsi, who was overthrown by the
military on July 3 after days of mass protests
against him. Hundreds died in the crackdown, including Beltagy’s daughter, Asmaa. Most of the Brotherhood’s top leadership has
been arrested in the nearly two months since
Morsi’s ouster. The group’s general guide, Mohamed el-
Badie, was arrested earlier this month. He is
facing criminal charges for inciting violence,
as is his deputy, Rashad al-Bayoumi; the
group’s top strategist, Khairat al-Shater; and
several other senior officials. Morsi himself has been held nearly
incommunicado since he was forced from
office. More than 60 other members of the
organisation have been detained over the past
few days, including relatives of senior leaders. The son of Khairat el-Shater, the
Brotherhood’s top strategist, was arrested this
week, as was Mohamed Soltan, a US citizen
who is the son of outspoken Brotherhood
leader Salah Soltan. The Muslim Brotherhood was banned for
decades under former president Hosni
Mubarak. It set up a political party following
the 2011 revolution, and moved to legalise its
status as a non-governmental organisation,
though members now fear Egypt’s new army- backed government will try to ban the group
once again. [AlJazeera]

Egypt Arrests Brother Of Al-Qaeda Chief

Mohammed al-Zawahri Egyptian authorities have arrested the
brother of al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-
Zawahri, security officials said. Mohammed al-Zawahri, leader of a Salafist
group, was detained at a checkpoint in Giza,
the city across the Nile from Cairo. Mohammed al-Zawahri’s group espouses a
hardline ideology but was not clandestine
prior to the military takeover on July 3. He was allied with ousted President
Mohamed Morsi, whose supporters are now
taking to the streets to protest the killings
of its supporters in a security crackdown
last week. The official news agency, MENA, confirmed
the arrest. Authorities said earlier that Mohammed al-
Zawahri had commanded fighters in Sinai
Peninsula. He was detained as part of a round up of
more than than 1,000 Islamists in the
country. The round up, announced by the
authorities, was conducted after Friday’s
protests. Mohammed al-Zawahiri had been seen in
Cairo in January at protests outside the
French Embassy by hundreds of Salafists
against the French military campaign in Mali.

Egyptian Forces Drag Islamists Out Of Cairo Mosque

Egyptian security forces have cleared
remaining Islamist protesters from a Cairo
mosque after a stand-off and an exchange
of fire, a security source has told AFP. Supporters of ousted Islamist president
Mohamed Morsi were dragged from the
mosque by police on Saturday, the official
said. Witnesses said that Egyptian security
forces stormed the al-Fateh mosque after
firing tear gas at hundreds of supporters of
the country’s ousted president barricaded
inside. The mosque served as a field hospital and
morgue following clashes on Friday in the
area. Earlier, while trying to drag supporters of
ousted president Mohamed Morsi out of a
Cairo mosque, crowds tried to attack them,
refusing to leave the mosque, despite being
surrounded by security forces, including
police who fired in the air to keep mobs from attacking the Islamists. Witnesses said that Egyptian security
forces stormed the al-Fateh mosque after
firing tear gas at hundreds of supporters of
the country’s ousted president barricaded
inside. Local journalist Shaimaa Awad said on
Saturday that security forces rounded up
protesters inside the mosque, located in
Cairo’s central Ramses Square. Egypt’s official news agency MENA reported
that gunmen opened fire on security forces
from the mosque’s minaret. Local television stations broadcast live
footage of soldiers firing assault rifles at
the minaret. The mosque served as a field hospital and
morgue following clashes on Friday in the
area. The protesters barricaded themselves
inside overnight out of fears of being
beaten by vigilante mobs or being arrested
by authorities.