The Egyptian army has arrested the supreme leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohammed Badie, this afternoon and is pursuing other members of the group. A security official said the arrest was made “for inciting the killing of protesters”.
State media earlier reported that 300 arrest warrants had been issued by the army for leaders and members of the Brotherhood which is closely linked with the ousted president Mohammed Morsi.
Morsi is himself in custody since yesterday, when the army led a popular coup to remove him from office. He’s to be questioned in the coming days for “insulting the judiciary”. The leader and deputy leader of his Freedom and Justice Party and, along with Morsi, banned from international travel on a seperate case.
At home, Tánaiste and Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Eamon Gilmore described the ousting of Morsi by the army as a “military coup” and called for a full restoration of democracy with a new government. For the most part, world leaders have given a cautious response to Morsi’s removal, which has clear popular support in Egypt.
French President Francois Hollande, currently on a visit to nearby Tunisia, did not criticise Morsi’s ousting directly, but has said Egypt must “do everything” to revive the democratic process after the constitution was suspended.
UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon said civilian rule “should be resumed as soon as possible” and called on the interim government, led by former Chief Justice Adli Mansour, to represent the people’s will.
