Egypt: 100 Islamists arrested ahead of poll

  1. Posted on Saturday 20 November 2010 - 14:05
    KingsleyKobo
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    Kingsley Kobo, AfricaNews reporter in Abidjan, Ivory Coast
    More than 100 members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood group were arrested across Egypt on Friday ahead of november 28 legislative elections, AFP said. Hamdy Hassan, spokesman for the Brotherhood's parliamentary bloc, confirmed the arrest of over 100 Brotherhood supporters from different cities.
    Egypt: 100 Islamists arrested ahead of poll
    “What happened today are not just assaults, it was more like war. Police fired at the crowds. Some people were injured,” Hassan told Reuters, adding that he had witnessed clashes in Alexandria.

    Police sources say about 200 people were detained in Nile Delta cities and places near Cairo while 24 more were detained in the coastal town of Alexandria, north of Cairo.

    Another Brotherhood official Mohammed Mursi said the arrests came during clashes when the security forces tried to break up gatherings of people backing Brotherhood candidates standing in the November 28 election.

    “The regime is trying to terrorise citizens to make them stay away from the polling stations,” Mursi said.

    Egypt’s official state news agency MENA said some people in the Brotherhood gatherings threw rocks at security men and a few were injured.

    The Brotherhood is fielding about 135 candidates in the election while the ruling National Democratic Party is fielding about 800 candidates, and the liberal Wafd opposition party about 250 for the 508 seats up for election.

    On Thursday, Egypt accused the United States of meddling in its affairs after Washington called for foreign observers to be allowed to monitor vote.

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