Egypt security forces arrest Muslim Brotherhood leader News
Egypt security forces arrest Muslim Brotherhood leader
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[JURIST] Egyptian police on Wednesday arrested a senior leader of the Muslim Brotherhood [BBC backgrounder; JURIST news archive], according to a source from Egypt’s Interior Ministry. Essam el-Erian [JURIST news archive] had been on the run [AP report] since the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi [BBC profile]. El-Erian, along with twelve other Muslim Brotherhood leaders, face charges of inciting violence [Reuters report] relating to the deaths of about a dozen people last December during a protest against Morsi. The leaders are scheduled to be tried [JURIST report] on November 4.

Controversy continues to surround the transition following the Egyptian Revolution [JURIST backgrounder]. On Tuesday three criminal court judges presiding over a Muslim Brotherhood trial resigned without elaboration [JURIST report]. Earlier this month an Egyptian court dismissed charges [JURIST report] against former vice president Mohamed ElBaradei, who served as vice president in the government set up by the military, but stepped down in protest of the violence directed at protesters. Also in October an Amnesty International report showed Egyptian security forces used live ammunition [JURIST report] to disperse protesters. Earlier in October an Egyptian court set the trial date [JURIST report] for ousted president Mohamed Morsi for November 4. Along with Morsi, 14 other leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood will be tried on the same day. Earlier this month the Muslim Brotherhood filed a lawsuit appealing a court verdict [JURIST reports] ordering the interim government to seize the group’s assets.