Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood a terror group

Egypt’s military-run government has declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group.

{mosads}The move comes months after the military removed Mohamed Morsi from the presidency. Morsi was the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate in the 2012 election.

The new government’s minister of education read a statement announcing the decision, which will give more power to authorities to crack down on the group.

“The Cabinet has declared the Muslim Brotherhood group and its organization as a terrorist organization,” the statement from Minister of Higher Education Hossam Eissa read, according to a Fox News report.

The organization has long been a power in Egypt and was an illegal group in that country until after the 2011 revolution that toppled President Hosni Mubarak. But under Morsi, serious opposition developed against the group.

The decision to label it a terrorist organization comes a day after a bombing the government has blamed on the group, which has organized daily protests since Morsi was overthrown. 

Tuesday’s bombing hit a police headquarters in a city on the Nile Delta. Sixteen people were killed in the attack, and more than 100 were wounded. 

Eissa blamed the attack on the Muslim Brotherhood in his statement. 

“Egypt was horrified from north to south by the hideous crime committed by the Muslim Brotherhood group,” he said. “This was in context of dangerous escalation to violence against Egypt and Egyptians [and] a clear declaration by the Muslim Brotherhood group that it is still knows nothing but violence.

“It’s not possible for Egypt the state nor Egypt the people to submit to the Muslim Brotherhood terrorism,” he added.

— This story was posted at 11:19 a.m. and updated at 11:35 a.m.