Egypt detains six leading Muslim Brotherhood members

By Hussein al-Qabbani

CAIRO (AA) - The Egyptian authorities on Thursday arrested six leaders of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood movement, according to a lawyer for the outlawed group.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, lawyer Abdel Moneim Abd al-Maqsoud identified the detained group leaders as Mohamed Abdel Rahman al-Morsi, Mohamed Amer, Jalal Mahmoud Mustafa, Ezzat Abdel-Fattah, Amr al-Sarwi and Ahmed Gaballah.

Al-Morsi heads up the group’s Supreme Administrative Committee, making him the Brotherhood’s second-in-command after acting group leader Mahmoud Ezzat.

According to a Brotherhood source who spoke to Anadolu Agency anonymously due to fears of reprisal, Ezzat was not among those detained in Thursday’s round-up.

Anadolu Agency was unable to obtain immediate comment on the detentions from the Egyptian authorities.

Egypt has been wracked by turmoil since a 2013 military coup against Mohamed Morsi, the country’s first democratically elected president and a leading Brotherhood member.

Since then, the Egyptian authorities have waged a fierce crackdown on Brotherhood members and Morsi’s supporters, killing hundreds and throwing tens of thousands behind bars.

In late 2013, Egypt’s post-coup authorities outlawed the Brotherhood and designated it as a "terrorist group".