Egyptian Officials say Brother of Al-Qaeda Leader Ayman al-Zawahiri Arrested; More than 1,000 “Elements” of the Muslim Brotherhood in Custody – 8/17/13

Photo: AP Egyptian Officials say they have arrested the brother of Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. They also say they have taken into custody 1,004 “elements” of the radical Muslim Brotherhood: EXPRESS TRIBUNE: As Egyptian police cleared Morsi loyalists from a Cairo mosque after exchanging gunfire for hours, security forces claimed that they had arrested the brother of al Qaeda chief Ayman al Zawahiri. The interior ministry claimed to have taken 1,004 Muslim Brotherhood “elements” into custody. Egypt’s army-backed government is now considering banning the Muslim Brotherhood group. The clashes came on the fourth day of bloodshed between the two sides, with the government saying 173 had died in the past 24 hours alone. That brought the country’s toll to more than 750 people since Wednesday, when 578 people were killed in nationwide clashes that erupted after police cleared two camps of Morsi loyalists in the capital. The standoff at Cairo’s Al-Fath mosque in central Ramses Square began on Friday, with security forces surrounding the building where Morsi supporters were sheltering and trying to convince them to leave. The protesters had lined up the bodies of dozens of protesters killed in “Friday of anger” demonstrations inside the mosque-turned-morgue. By Saturday afternoon, the situation turned violent, with gunmen inside the mosque trading fire with police outside. Police stormed the Fath mosque and security forces started firing tear gas. In the process, they managed to drag outside seven or eight men and were then confronted by angry neighbourhood residents who attacked them with sticks and iron bars. Police fired in the air in a bid to disperse the mob. .



Read more about Egyptian Officials say Brother of Al-Qaeda Leader Ayman al-Zawahiri Arrested; More than 1,000 “Elements” of the Muslim Brotherhood in Custody – 8/17/13