Cairo: Egyptian security authorities have arrested a key Islamist, wanted for inciting violence, before he escapes to Libya, the state Middle East News Agency reported on Wednesday.
Safwat Hejazy, known for his firebrand speeches in support of the ousted Islamist president Mohammad Mursi, was arrested in the Western Desert Oasis of Siwa near the border with Libya, added the agency quoting a security official.
Hejazy was a prominent speaker at a mass pro-Mursi camp in Cairo before the police cleared it in a deadly crackdown last week.
Hejazy has escaped the public eye since the swoop. He is facing charges of inciting the murder of opponents.
State media Wednesday showed pictures of Hejazy wearing a white undershirt with a trimmed beard and skullcap aimed at facilitating his alleged escape to Libya.
In one picture, he is shown in good health sitting between two military policemen
Meanwhile, a senior official in the Muslim Brotherhood to which Mursi belongs, was detained at Cairo airport before leaving for Rome, the agency quoted a security source as saying.
Murad Ali, a spokesman for the Islamist Brotherhood, was arrested after his name was found on a travel ban list, added the source.
Hundreds of Mursi's backers, including the Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohammad Badie, have been arrested since the army deposed the Islamist leader on July 3 following massive protests against his one-year-old rule.
