Scores of Muslim Brotherhood supporters arrested in Egypt

Scores of Muslim Brotherhood supporters arrested in Egypt
More than 150 people suspected of belonging to banned Muslim Brotherhood are in jail for allegedly plotting attacks against security forces, Egypt police said.
2 min read
12 October, 2015
Egypt's regime has launched a crackdown on opponents [Getty]
The Egyptian ministry of interior announced over the past week that 175 alleged members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood have been arrested for "incitement and planning attacks against security installations".

Police statements on Facebook talked of "terrorists" and that they have been taken into custody for attacking and inciting attacks throughout the country.

The police claimed  thaty they hacve foiled plans to carry out terrorist acts against police and army positions.

The police often report arrests among Islamists but they are the accuracy of these claims is difficult to verify.

Last month, police were accused of "extra-judicially" four alleged members of the Muslim Brotherhood as they were on a beach holiday.

Egypt has been dogged by instability since Egypt's first democratically elected president, Mohammad Morsi, was overthrown in a military coup in July 2013.

Since Morsi was ousted, Egyptian authorities have carried out a relentless crackdown on the former president's supports, leaving hundreds dead and thousands behind bars.

Islamist insurgents have killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the 2013 military coup, following mass protests against Morsi's rule.

A policeman was injured in an IED explosion in the Cairo suburb of 6 October on Friday, according to police. 

'Martyr's Right'

The Egyptian military announced last Wednesday that the second phase of a military campaign in the Sinai Peninsula against Islamic state group affiliated militants has begun.

     
     
Operation Haqq al-Shahid (Martyr's Right) will now also focus on carrying out "development projects" and "reconstruction" in North Sinai province, according to the military.

Human rights groups have accused the army of mass home demolitions and the forced eviction of thousands of families in Sinai over the past two years.

The military's engineering corps has said that it is planning to build a "new" Rafah city, which will include hundreds of flats with access to schools and commercial zones.

The Egyptian government has been battling a long-running insurgency in Sinai.