CAIRO: The Egyptian state prosecutor on Wednesday ordered 147 detained members of the Muslim Brotherhood to be investigated following demonstrations in several cities across Egypt s north, a judicial official said.
The detainees are being accused of holding unauthorized demonstrations and rioting, added the official on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
According to an anonymous security official, a total of 255 members of the Muslim Brotherhood had been arrested. The men were detained in six different provinces between Tuesday and Wednesday, the official said.
Thousands of members of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood demonstrated across the Nile Delta Tuesday, accusing the government of preventing them from participating in the April 8 municipal elections.
Nearly 3,000 Muslim Brotherhood members protested in Zaqaziq, 100 km northeast of Cairo, 2,000 demonstrated in the port city of Alexandria on the Mediterranean, and 1,500 marched at Damanhur in the Nile Delta. The demonstrators hurled stones at police, who responded by firing tear gas.
Authorities have launched a crackdown on the group over the past year putting more than 800 of its members and potential candidates behind bars.
Since registration for local balloting started March 4, few of the 10,000 Brotherhood hopefuls have managed to officially register as candidates.
The New York-based group Human Rights Watch has slammed the roundup as shameless and cast serious doubt on the election s legitimacy.
It said the arrests, combined with ongoing military trials of top MB members, are part of a bid by President Hosni Mubarak and his ruling National Democratic Party to fix the elections. -Agencies
