The Egyptian State Security’s Prosecution arrested over the weekend 17 leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood movement, including General-Secretary Dr. Mahmoud ‘Izzat, the London-based daily A-Sharq Al-Awsat reports.
The group will face charges of being members of an outlawed organization and possessing publications propagating its ideologies, said the Muslim Brotherhood’s lawyer ‘Abd Al-Mun’im ‘Abd Al-Maq’soud.
According to the investigation report, the group attempted to "incite the public, spread chaos and call for public disobedience." They did so, according to A-Sharq Al-Awsat, using the offices of the Muslim Brotherhood’s members of parliament.
The Muslim Brotherhood, an outlawed but tolerated movement, is the largest opposition movement in Egypt. The organization fielded candidates as independents in last year’s legislative elections and won a fifth of the seats in the parliament.
A week and a half ago the Egyptian police arrested another 17 members of the movement. They were arrested for allegedly holding a meeting in eastern Cairo, aimed at "reviving the movement’s activities."