Mohammed Badie shortly after his arrest. Images courtesy of ON TV
The spiritual leader of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, General Guide Mohammed Badie, has been arrested in Cairo according to military officials.
The news of his arrest over charges of inciting violence and murder over the killing of eight anti-Morsi protesters outside the Brotherhood’s headquarters in Cairo last June, comes amid a week of turbulence in Egypt where nearly 900 people have died.
Police paraded Badie around after his arrest in an apparent show of strength, with the images appearing on private television channel ON TV.
The removal of Badie from the Brotherhood’s organisational structure, with his deputy Khairat al-Shatir already under arrest, will leave a power vacuum. Officials in Cairo hoping that his replacement may be better prepared for compromise, and ready to partake in peaceful elections in the future.
A state of emergency was called across many towns and cities across the country after the bloodshed the resulted from the security services attempting to clear the Brotherhood protest camps last week, which ended with more than 400 killed in the clashes. Badie’s 38-year-old son, Ammar, was shot and killed during the clearing of protesters from Ramses Square on August 14th.
The clashes have remained a regular occurence since then with the Brotherhood vowing to continue their protests to have Mohamed Morsi reinstated as president, whilst the military have pledged to maintain “security and stability”.
Hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood supporters have been arrested since the military ousted president Morsi on July 3rd, with the recent bloody crackdown accelerating the process as the brotherhood vow to continue their protests to reinstate Mohamed Morsi.
The arrest comes days after Mr Badie’s 38-year-old son, Ammar, was shot dead during protests in the capital’s Ramses Square.
Mr Badie’s deputy, Khairat al-Shatir, was arrested in the days following Mr Morsi’s overthrow.
