Cairo: Egyptian prosecutors on Wednesday issued arrest warrants for 10 key Islamists, including the Muslim Brotherhood’s head Mohammad Badie, on charges of inciting deadly clashes outside an army building this week.
Others wanted Islamists include Essam Al Erian, Mohammad Al Beltaji and Mahmoud Ezzat, who are senior officials in the Brotherhood, which has been holding mass protests since July 3 when the army ousted president Mohammad Mursi who hails from the group.
The list also includes Essam Sultan from the Islamist Al Wasat Party, and Asem Abdul Majid, a member of the radical group Jamaa Islamiya.
Prosecutors said investigations revealed that the 10 Islamists had been involved by “inciting and assisting” in the clashes.
At least 51 people, including an army officer, were killed and more than 400 injured in Monday’s clashes between Mursi’s supporters and army forces outside the headquarters of the elite Republic Guard in eastern Cairo.
The Brotherhood accused the army of “massacring peaceful demonstrators”. The army said the Brotherhood supporters had attempted to storm the building using live ammunition, believing that Mursi was being kept inside.
Meanwhile, prosecutors, investigating the incident, ordered 206 people jailed for 15 days pending further questioning. They face charges of attempting to break into a military installation, attacking security forces and possessing unlicensed weapons, said judicial sources.
Thousands of Islamists continue to camp out near Cairo University and in the vicinity of a major mosque in the area of Raba’a Al Adawaya in east of the Egyptian capital, vowing not to leave until Mursi is reinstated.
