CAIRO: Sources in the Muslim Brotherhood confirmed to The Daily Star Egypt that Egyptian police arrested eight members of the opposition group early on Saturday.
Brotherhood lawyer Abdel Moniem Abdel Maqsoud denied earlier reports that they men were arrested because of membership to an illegal organization and possessing anti-government pamphlets.
“They weren’t accused of anything by the public prosecutor’s office or charged with a crime . they are political detainees who were arrested because of the state of emergency, he said.
The lawyer also claimed a government tactic that aims at restricting Muslim Brotherhood members and those not certified by authorities from leading prayers or addressing worshippers at mosques.
Leading prayers at the mosques should not be considered grounds for their arrests, said the lawyer, adding that the men, aged between 30 and 40, were not leading members of the Brotherhood.
He said the eight men were currently being held in Torah prison for at least 30 days after which he would be able to file for their release.
“I expect them to be released in about two or three months, he added.
But a media officer at the ministry of interior’s media office refused to confirm or deny that the men had been arrested over the weekend. “This is not a confirmation, nor a denial and we have not released any information regarding this story, said Ashraf Al-Imami.
The arrests were the latest government steps targeting the Islamist group whose members, elected as independents, hold 88 seats in the 454-seat parliament. This comes less than a week after Egyptian authorities barred Brotherhood leader Mohamed Mahdi Akef from traveling to Saudi Arabia for a religious pilgrimage.
The Egyptian police regularly detain Brotherhood members for brief periods, often without charges. Hundreds were arrested in a crackdown following parliamentary lections held late last year. Most were later released.
Akef had told local press last week that the government is targeting the group through these continuous arrests.
With additional reports from AFP
