Muslim Brotherhood minister arrested over terrorism

Egyptian police had arrested a government minister in the era of the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood, on terrorism charges, security sources said.

Hatem Abdul Latif, who served as the transport minister under the now-toppled Islamist president Mohammed Morsi, had been caught on the outskirts of Cairo, the sources added.

“The accused is a cadre in the terrorist Brotherhood group and has maintained contacted with its leaders abroad. He has been involved in plans aimed at destabilising security in the country,” the semi-official newspaper Akhbar Al Youm quoted a security source as saying.

“The accused will appear before the specialised prosecution on charges of joining an outlawed group aimed at inciting chaos and committing acts of violence and sabotage,” the source added.

Abdul Latif’s arrest comes days after Egyptian authorities caught two prominent businessmen on suspicion of belonging to the Brotherhood and financing its anti-state activities.

In late 2013, Egypt designated the Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation after a spate of violent attacks unleashed in the country following the Islamist group’s removal from power after massive street protests against its divisive rule.

Source: Gulf News