Egypt detains Muslim Brotherhood leader, 25 others

0 Comments | AFP, March, 2008

CAIRO (AFP) — Egyptian authorities detained on Thursday a member of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood's politburo and 25 other members in the run-up to key elections next month, a security official said.

"Twenty-six members of the Muslim Brotherhood were detained in Cairo and Giza, including senior leader and member of the guidance bureau Mahmud Ghozlan," the official told AFP.

"Some of them, including Ghozlan, were detained on their way to register their candidacy for the (municipal) elections," the official said.

The Brotherhood say the crackdown aims to block another election success after 2005 parliamentary polls in which the group won a fifth of seats through members standing as independents.

On Wednesday, a member of the group was beaten by...