By Reuters
CAIRO: Egyptian security forces arrested eight members of the Muslim Brotherhood on Thursday after searching their homes and confiscating their computers, CDs and books, a spokesman for the group said on Friday.
The arrested members had launched an online campaign called “Amal Al Omah” (The Nation’s Hopes) (www.amlalommah.net/) calling on the prosecution of the head of security in Alexandria for police violations, Hamdy Hassan, the group’s spokesman for the parliamentary bloc, told Reuters.
“(Those arrested) are the ones heading the campaign calling for the prosecution of the head of security in Alexandria,” Hassan said, adding that 10 members headed the campaign, but two were not present in their homes.
The death of Khaled Saeid, 28, on June 6 in Alexandria, whom rights groups said died due to police brutality, has sparked public protests. The opposition has used the case to call for an end to emergency law which they say gives police impunity and stifles dissent.
The daily Al-Masry Al-Youm had earlier cited the Brotherhood’s lawyer, Khalaf Bayoumi, saying the arrests came after the group gathered 100,000 signatures calling on the prosecution of the head of security in Alexandria.
The official state news agency MENA said the eight members were arrested “for possessing publications containing ideas that could threaten national security.”
