Leaders of Muslim Brotherhood detained

February 9th, 2010

Three of the Muslim Brotherhood’s senior leaders, including Mahmoud Ezzat, the Brotherhood’s deputy leader, were detained alongside at least 11 other members for engaging in banned political activity. Although the Muslim Brotherhood is banned, its members won a fifth of the parliament seats in the 2005 election when they ran as independents. A spokesman for the group said the arrests were intended to thwart its preparations for elections later in the year.