Egypt Freezes Brotherhood’s Assets, Arrests its Spokesman

Egypt Freezes Brotherhood’s Assets, Arrests its Spokesman

By | 2013-09-19T10:51:01-04:00 September 19th, 2013|Press Releases|0 Comments
Egypt continued its crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood on Tuesday, as an Egyptian court ordered the freezing of the assets of senior leaders of the movement..
 
Among those facing sanctions are Brotherhood general guide Mohammad Badie, his two deputies Khairat al-Shater and Rashad Bayoumi, as well as Salafist leader Hazem Abu Ismail and preacher Safwat Higazy, reported AFP.
 
Since August, Egypt’s authorities have rounded up dozens of senior leaders of Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood, including Badie, who was caught in a building in Cairo’s Nasr City district near Rabaa El-Adaweya.
 
Last week, authorities began investigating former President Mohammed Morsi’s family wealth and assets, reported Al Arabiya.
 
Egypt’s general prosecutor opened the investigation into the ousted Islamist president’s wealth, after a report was filed by the head of an anti-corruption association.
 
The report accuses Morsi of taking advantage of his posts and squandering $285.7 million during his election campaign.
 
Meanwhile on Tuesday, Egyptian authorities arrested the Muslim Brotherhood’s spokesman, Gehad al-Haddad.
 
Haddad managed to escape arrest for weeks until police found him in a Cairo apartment along with other Islamist figures including the former governor of Qaliyubiya province Hossam Abu Bakr, sources told AFP.
 
They were seized in the same Nasr City neighborhood, where Morsi supporters for weeks had held protests demanding his reinstatement and were cleared in August by authorities, leading to clashes in which hundreds of people were killed.
 
Two weeks ago, an Egyptian military court sentenced 11 members of the Muslim Brotherhood to life in prison after accusing them of “aggression” against the army in the city of Suez.
 
Morsi himself has been referred for trial on charges of inciting the murder of protesters.
 
The accusations relate to violence outside the presidential palace in Cairo last December when seven people were killed in clashes.
 
Egypt’s State Commissioners Authority, a body that advises the government on legal issues, has recommended the dissolution of the Muslim Brotherhood and the closing of its headquarters in Cairo.