Six members of the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood were arrested in Egypt for allegedly planning violence aimed at “spoiling” the upcoming presidential election in March, the Interior Ministry said on Saturday.
According to a statement issued by the ministry, the suspects were arrested in two separate police sweeps.
“Police raided a hideout in the province of Mansoura, north-east of Cairo, purportedly used by five Muslim Brotherhood members to plan “acts of rioting and violence.
“A sixth suspect was nabbed in the northern province of Sharqiya over alleged possession of firecrackers and sound bombs,” it said.
A senior official in the Islamist group said Egypt designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation after the army’s 2013 ouster of the country’s first democratically elected president Mohammed Morsi.
Authorities have accused the group of being involved in attacks mainly targeting security forces and the country’s Christian minority, a charge that the Muslim Brotherhood denies.
Egypt is to hold presidential polls over three days, beginning March 26 and President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi is virtually guaranteed to win.
Al-Sissi, a former army general, is being challenged by Mostafa Moussa, a little-known politician, who registered for candidacy at the last minute.
Moussa, head of the small al-Ghad Party, is widely seen as a face-saving candidate after a string of would-be challengers were forced out, or quit the race, citing unfair competition.
The Egyptian opposition had on Tuesday called for a boycott of the vote, calling it a “farce.”
However, on Wednesday, al-Sissi vowed to take steps against what he called “evils” who seek to undermine the country’s stability. (dpa/NAN)
