250 of group’s members to be investigated, over 1,000 arrested, following violent weekend clashes, state news agency says. Confrontations between Morsi supporters, Egyptian security forces, leave more than 170 dead
Egyptian prosecutors have placed 250 Muslim Brotherhood supporters under investigation for murder, attempted murder and terrorism, the state MENA news agency said on Saturday.
Police arrested more than 1,000 Brotherhood sympathisers in the wake of clashes on Friday that pitted followers of deposed IslamistPresident Mohamed Morsi against the security forces. More than 170 people died nationwide in the violence that day.
For more than a month since the July 3 military overthrow of Morsi, Muslim Brotherhood members and supporters have attacked and torched scores of police stations and churches, in retaliation. Shops and houses of Christians have been targeted.
Morsi supporters in Egypt (Photo: Reuters)
Such attacks spurred widespread public anger against the Brotherhood, giving the military-backed government popular backing to step up its campaign against the Islamist group. It reminded people of a decade-long Islamist insurgency against Mubarak’s rule in the 1990s which only strengthened security agencies and ended up with thousands of Islamic fundamentalists in prisons.
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The assault on the al-Fath Mosque began Friday, as pro-Morsi protesters and armed men fled into the worship center to avoid angry vigilantes and arrest. They piled furniture in the mosque’s entrance to block authorities and enraged anti-Morsi protesters from reaching them.
The mosque served as a field hospital and an open-air morgue as a Brotherhood-called day of protests descended into violence. By daybreak Saturday, security forces and armored personnel carriers had surrounded the mosque and it appeared that military-led negotiations might defuse the standoff.
Clashes (Photo: Reuters)
A post on the Facebook page of the army spokesman, Col. Mohammed Ali, accused gunmen of firing from the mosque at nearby buildings, located on Ramses Square in central Cairo. The upper floors of a commercial building and blood bank towering over the square caught fire during the mayhem, with flames engulfing it for hours.
A Muslim cleric, Sheik Abdel-Hafiz el-Maslami, told The Associated Press that people were afraid to leave the mosque out of fear of detention or being assaulted by the crowd outside. He said there were armed men inside the mosque at one point, but protesters had forced them out.
“We lost control over things,” the cleric said. “There were men with arms in the mosque who were forced out of the mosque, but we can’t control things here.”
He said there were ongoing negotiations with the military to enable the protesters to safely leave. State television showed small groups emerging from the mosque by late Saturday morning.
However, local journalist Shaimaa Awad, who was trapped in the mosque with the Islamists, said the talks failed after three women were detained by the military, after agreeing to go outside early Saturday morning.
An AP reporter said that thousands of anti-Islamist protesters rallied outside the mosque, chanting: “God take revenge on Morsi and those standing behind him!”
Army tanks and soldiers closed off the main entrances to Ramses Square, as soldiers sealed off the area with barbed wire.
By midday Saturday, gunmen took over a mosque minaret and opened fire on the security forces below, the state-run MENA news agency said. The crowd around the mosque panicked as soldiers opened fire with assault rifles, the chaos broadcast live on local television channels.
Several security officials told The Associated Press that ending the standoff at the mosque was essential, after receiving information that the group planned to turn it into a new sit-in protest camp. They spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
On Wednesday, riot police, military helicopters, snipers and bulldozers broke up two sit-in protests in Cairo by Morsi supporters, leaving more than 600 people dead and thousands injured. That sparked days of violence that killed 173 people and injured 1,330 people on Friday alone, when the Brotherhood called for protests during a “Day of Rage,” Cabinet spokesman Sherif Shawki said.
Among those who died Friday was Ammar Badie, a son of the Brotherhood’s spiritual leader Mohammed Badie, the group’s political arm said in a statement.
Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi, who leads the military-backed government, later told journalists that authorities had no choice but to use force in the wake of recent violence.
“I feel sorry for valuable blood shed,” el-Beblawi said. However, he cautioned that there will be no “reconciliation with those whose hands are stained with blood or those who hold weapons against the country’s institutions.”
Signaling the Brotherhood’s precarious political position, Shawki said the government was considering ordering that the group be disbanded. The spokesman said the prime minister had assigned the Ministry of Social Solidarity to study the legal possibilities of dissolving the group. He didn’t elaborate.
Mustafa Hegazy, a political adviser to interim President Adly Mansour, told a press conference Saturday that the current Egyptian leadership is not in a “political dispute or difference” with the Brotherhood, instead, “we are in a war against treason and some sort of terrorism.”
He added that Egyptians took to the streets on June 30 – the day that led to Morsi’s ouster – to revolt against “religious fascism.”
The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in 1928, came to power a year ago when Morsi was elected in the country’s first free presidential elections. The election came after the overthrow of autocrat Hosni Mubarak in a popular uprising in 2011.
The fundamentalist group has been banned for most of its 85-year history and repeatedly subjected to crackdowns under Mubarak’s rule. While sometimes tolerated with its leaders allowed to be part of the political process, members regularly faced long bouts of imprisonment and arbitrary detentions.
Disbanding the group, experts say, would mean allowing security forces to have a zero-tolerance policy in dealing with the group’s street protests, as well as going after its funding sources. That could cripple the Brotherhood, though it likely wouldn’t mean an end to a group that existed underground for decades
The possible banning comes amid calls by pro-military political forces to brand the Brotherhood a “terrorist organization.”
“We are calling for declaring the Brotherhood as a terrorist group,” said Mohammed Abdel-Aziz, one of the leaders of the Tamarod youth movement that had organized mass rallies calling for Morsi’s ouster.
The military-backed government has declared a state of emergency and imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew since Wednesday, empowering army troops to act as a law enforcement force. Top Brotherhood leaders, including Morsi, remain held on a variety of charges, including inciting violence.
Since Morsi was deposed in the popularly backed military coup, the Brotherhood has stepped up its confrontation with the new leadership, rallying thousands of supporters in sit-ins and vowing not to leave until Morsi is reinstated.
After security forces broke up the protest camps, Islamist supporters stormed and torched churches and police stations. In response, authorities authorized Egypt’s security forces to use deadly force against those attacking vital government institutions.
On Saturday, Egypt’s Interior Ministry said in a statement that a total of 1,004 Brotherhood members had been detained in raids across the country and that weapons, bombs and ammunition were confiscated from the detainees.
Several foreigners were also rounded up including Sudanese, Pakistanis and Syrians, the Internior Ministry said.
Morsi himself has been held incommunicado since his ouster. Top Brotherhood leaders including General Guide Deputy Khairat el-Shater were detained last month.
If it had been the other way around the U.S. response would have been the same. The U.S. admin does not like losing control.
@ yamit82:
Imagine this scenario: If obama had, in conjunction with GCC , given the green light to Sisi to make the coup then all of his behavior now would make sense. If a green light were given then the parties knew that many would be killed and the US could not be in any way connected. If it were to be known then even Patersons actions during the tamarod protests make sense in terms of distancing from the carnage to come. We know that Obama, Qatar, and saudi have been working together in arming, training jihadis in Libya, syria,etc. Obama has pretended that he is an outsider in syria being very cautious and stand offish in avoidng entering the conflict whereas we know he has been in the conflict. if he had openly been in Syria he would be associated with the Jihadi butchers now whereas he pretends to be avoiding going in on their side. Why not use the same tactic in egypt of appearing to be in opposition to Sisi while his partners the GCC continue to finance him. The timing of everything from pre coup to coup and then the quick saudi financing make me consider that it was pre planned. Certainly if he was in on it then he would have to appear the opposite. Chile, pinochet?
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yamit82 Said:
I have thought that israel was being pressured to be involved but cannily has been sitting on the fence, at least in appearance.
yamit82 Said:
there is the possibility that israel pre empts hezbullah prior to iran. it all has the look of a softening up.
yamit82 Said:
in ben yishai case I gave a quote which I thought was presumptuous. Overall it was not whether I agreed but that there was no reasoning given for conclusions. Perhaps experts don’t need to give reasons.
yamit82 Said:
I agree. On the other hand I find the buffer zone location as a choice odd in terms of the war. the action is mainly further north. thats why I wonder if there is some other reason for controlling this zone. perhaps it is debka disiinfo but I heard of this plan months ago.(maybe from debka 🙂 )
yamit82 Said:
this is often said but I do not one bit buy it. My reading of their relations is that they have had some past competition and Qatar was miffed about a saudi pipeline rejection but that the last couple of years (the arab spring) they have been in cooperation. The facts appear to me to bear this out primarily in that they are operating towards the same ends in the so called sunni shia war. Qatar works with MB and Saudi with the salafis but both use them to the same ends.
I would not be surprised if the MB gets banned in egypt and get run out to fight jihadi war in syria and iraq. saudi has been paying them to go. I think they all want sisi to do the dirty work but cannot be seen by the electorate to be in support of it.
yamit82 Said:
what’s new in this? we know everything egyptian is anti semitic. However, have you noticed that there is no anti israel rhetoric or even using the israel card from Sisi: this is new. The “Movement” is the tamarod movement, the so called liberal left, the pretend twitter revolution. In my view sisi is not following them, according to his actions he appears to be doing the opposite. don’t confuse rhetoric with fact or sisi with Tamarod.
yamit82 Said:
How so, from my perspective its even stronger? The jihadis in syria have not turned on israel; they have engaged with hezbullah in syria and lebanon; they are engaged in Iraq which is heating up. I predicted these as being indicators. Hamas is still on a leash, I hear nothing but a whimper from there. Please explain. I wonder if you understand what I have been suspecting.
EU to ‘urgently review’ relations with Egypt
Thousands of Israeli Arabs march in support of Egypt’s Brotherhood
@ bernard ross:
Egyptian movement seeks to reverse peace deal with Israel
@ bernard ross:
Looks like your GCC theory disintegrating before your eyes: Not a criticism but an obvious fact.
Egyptian movement seeks to reverse peace deal with Israel
“The Saudis, incidentally, have a clear interest in offering help. With this one move they can support a military regime, which from their perspective will return Egypt to the days of Mubarak, and also exact revenge on Obama for abandoning a friend. The Saudi kingdom, as opposed to its sworn rival Qatar, is hostile toward the Muslim Brotherhood and supports the Egyptian army’s actions to return the country to its pervious course.”
@ bernard ross:
Looks like your GCC theory disintegrating before your eyes: Not a criticism but an obvious fact.
Egyptian movement seeks to reverse peace deal with Israel
@ bernard ross:
https://www.israpundit.org/archives/57032/comment-page-1#comment-286400
@ bernard ross:
I want to see them shooting down Russian Planes???
The analysts are well respected …Ben Yisai is as connected to the IDF top sources more than any other journalist and he is as patriotic as they come for journalists, He has been a leading mil journalist in Israel for the past 40 years.
bernard ross Said:
Be specific…what don’t you agree with?
No he is a pro west and Israel, Iraqi native living in England and his stuff is worth seeing and hearing.
@ bernard ross:
I don’t see them taking a risk of engaging the Russians. If they try to pull it off For sure Russia supplies their S-300 system if not more and I don’t think the Americans or their allies would relish sustaining such air losses for such limited goals. The way things re going it seems most of the Syrian people are siding with Assad in view of the even more brutal Jihadists brought in to topple Assad by the Americans primarily and the Arab reactionary regimes.
The American Commander is a loser who got his ass beat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The clip left out any mention in Israels designated role but last week they said Israel was to act in support of the other air-forces in Southern and central Syria.
If Israel does involve itself it opens the justification for either Hezbollah or Assad to attack Israel. I don’t see Israel lending itself in such open support to the plan and I’m not sure at this point we want to see Americas plan work. I don’t think the Israeli people would be supportive of our governments involvement if we incurred losses. We Israelis don’t believe we have skin in this conflict up until they attack us.
@ yamit82:
this buffer zone is odd, if true, because there doesn’t seem to be much happening there, I would have thought a no fly zone in the north. Perhaps there is another reason as the area connects jordan to lebanon. perhaps there is a view to a deal to fragment.
http://www.debka.com/article/23199/New-Centcom-underground-war-room-in-Amman-for-US-intervention-in-Syria
The buffer zone in the south up to Damascus would be captured by 3,000 rebels trained in special operations tactics and armed by US forces in Jordan. Jordanian special forces are to spearhead the operation under US command.
yamit82 Said:
I did not say documented: only support of some kind. Even some sort of rational induction from a series of prior events. There can be many opinions based on prior events, or other rational argument, but these articles were only opinion. I expect a more rigorous op-ed from a media source; perhaps it would be better to ask the next person at the bus stop.
yamit82 Said:
was there a particular video you were showing me, or just the general site?
yamit82 Said:
there does appear to be more coordination and similarity of goals than with Mubarak or Morsi. I have not read of any anti Israel rants from Sisi. I am not familiar with Sisi’s past intelligence relationships with Israel.
@ yamit82:
IQ al Rassooli. Home page
http://www.alrassooli.org/
http://www.al-rassooli.com/blog/ Index
@ bernard ross:
IQ al Rassooli.
http://www.youtube.com/user/AhmadsQuran5/videos
@ bernard ross:
Since when do Op ed opinions need to be supported by documented support?
Here is another insight… It’s Israel’s fault!!!
‘Israel undermining Western diplomatic efforts in Egypt’
Strongman El-Sissi has been in ‘heavy’ contact with Jerusalem since Morsi’s ouster, says report in NY Times, quoting unnamed diplomats
IQ al Rassooli.
yamit82 Said:
not a good analysis, the writer appears to be part of the Tamarod movement and makes unfounded assumptions. EG that Sisi wants the MB conflict over quickly. who knows,perhaps he wants a long drawn out affair which allows the MB to be banned and to be a terror enemy substitute for the Israeli card. It’s all speculation.
yamit82 Said:
this story too is just opinion without support:
They have shown that they will in fact do the egypt army job where required.
yamit82 Said:
another poor article based on unsupported opinion:
Perhaps they are very pleased, we do not know and neither does this author Ron Ben-Yishai.
@ yamit82:
The question is why. Why is the west supporting the jihadist brotherhood?
yamit82 Said:
The Muslim Brotherhood is a totalitarian movement like the Iranian Islamists minus a charismatic leader like Khomeini. Its goal for Egypt is exactly the same as happened in Iran for a generation now. No one in the West appreciates its true nature. And Hamas is one of its offshoots. The world should applaud if Egypt moves to ban it.
Attack on Egyptian soil, problematic but probably necessary
Analysis: If reports of Israel’s alleged attack of terror cell in Sinai are true, it would be second time since 1979 peace treaty Israel has breeched Egyptian sovereignty – a risky move justified only if terror cell was posing immediate threat to Israeli lives
Avoid Vietnam syndrome
Op-ed: IDF can share its knowledge with Egyptian army, but must not do its job in eradicating terror
Merav Betito
Egypt’s war of attrition
Analysis: Chaos in Egypt is in fact well planned strategy, on part of both Muslim Brotherhood, state; Brotherhood provokes security forces, uses high losses to gain public favor. US, EU pushing both sides to rein in talk, ignoring fact that Brotherhood not interested in compromise
Israel kills a few Arabs and the whole world condemns and threatens us with sanctions or worse.
The Egyptian Army and police kill so far some 1000 Egyptian civilians and the condemnation where is exists are mostly mild rebukes.
Is Morsi and the MB preferable to the critics of the Junta ruling Egypt today? It would seem to be the case.
The question that comes to my mind is Why is this so?
“There is a futility that takes place on the Earth — there are righteous ones who are treated as [if they had performed] the actions of the evil ones; and there are evil ones who are treated as [if they had performed] the actions of the righteous ones — I declared that, also, this is a futility.” (Ecclesiastes 8:14)