Massive crackdown on the Ikhwan

The Egyptian Gazette of October 29,1954 reported the arrest of Ikhwan 'Secret Group '.As a follow-up,The Egyptian Gazette of October 31, 1954 carried a front-page report headlined:Brothers planned

to seize power Major Salem gives press details on great conspiracy Hodeiby and henchmen arrestedThe report said:Details of the great conspiracy (the name given by officials,and therefore the press,to the Ikhwan plot to assassinate Premier Gamal Abdul Nasser)by the secret organisation of the Muslim Brotherhood were disclosed last night at a press conference held at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers by Major Salah Salem,the Minister of National Guidance.This followed shortly after it had been officially announced that Mr.Hassan el-Hodeiby,the Supreme Guide of the Brotherhood had been arrested in Alexandria.The report quoted Major Salem as saying that he was holding this press conference so that public opinion may be informed of a plot to over- throw the government.He revealed that the secret branch of the Muslim Brotherhood is headed by three members:Lt.Col.Abdul Moneim Abdul Raouf,a retired Army officer; Major Salah Shadi,a retired police officer and Youssef Talaat.Mr.Hassan el-Hodeiby,the Supreme Guide,was the direct chief of this branch.It was this branch which had prepared plots to assassinate all members of the Revolution Command Council and to eliminate 100 officers.Once this had been carried out,it was the intention of the secret branch to ask Mr.Mohamed el-Ashmawy,a former Minister of Education,and Mr.Abdul Rahman Azzam,former Secretary General of the Arab League,to form a government.The Egyptian Gazette of November 5,1954 reported the arrest of a former Minister of Education,Mr.Mohamed Hassan el-Ashmawy in connection with the inquiry into Brotherhoodconspiracies.The report said:“Investigations have revealed that the contract of lease for the Alexandria villa in which Mr.Hassan el-Hodeiby,the SupremeGuide of the Brotherhood was hiding,was in the name of Hassan el-Ashmawy,son of the formerMinister.“It will be recalled that Mr.el-Ashmawy,and Mr.Abdul Rahman Azzam,former Secretary General of the Arab League,were mentioned in some of the Brotherhood confessions as candi- dates to succeed the Revolution Command Council in case the conspiracy against the regime succeeded.” carried a report headlined: Ikhwan 's aim was domination of the Armed Forces The report said:“Recent investigations have revealed that theBrotherhood had plans to seize power by force and proved that they had a 10-year programme to dominate the Army and the Police,it was revealed last night ”.As some of prominent Ikhwan leaders, particularly those who were in charge of the secret organisation,were still at large,the Revolution Government launched a wanted campaign for their capture,offering mouth-watering rewards for citizens who could arrest or help arrest them.First,and as reported by The Egyptian Gazette of November 2,1954,'LE 2,000 was the price on Youssef Talaat 's head '.Again,The Egyptian Gazette of November 12, 1954 published in a front-page column under wanted names pictures of those wanted,together with details that could help identify them.These were:Youssef Ezeddin Talaat;Hassan MohamedAshmawy,a lawyer;Abdul Moneim Abdul Raouf,former Lt.Col.in the Army;Ibrahim el-Tayeb Ibrahim,a lawyer. On November 16,1954 as the People 'sTribunal was holding its sessions,The Egyptian Gazette front-paged news of the arrest of Talaat Youssef.It said:“Youssef Ezeddin Talaat,chief of the Brotherhood secret organisation in Egypt,was arrested.The information about his hiding place was supplied by Ibrahim el-Tayeb,the chief of the Brotherhood secret organisation in Cairo, who made sensational confessions before the People 's Tribunal yesterday.Talaat made no attempt to resist.The flat he was living in wasrented a month ago in the name of Ahmed AbdulRahman,which police authorities believed to be a fictitious name.On searching the flat,Police found 2 Bren guns,1 Tommy gun,5 Sten guns,1 Vickers gun,9 rifles,and a case containing a duplicating machine,and a large number of cir- culars ”.Meanwhile,The Egyptian Gazette of November 20,1954 reported that 'two ex-Army officers,tried in absentia by the Third BranchCourt of the People 's Tribunal,were sentenced to death.They are Abdul Moneim Abdul Raouf and Abul Makarem Abdul Hai,who were supervising the secret organisations of the dissolvedMuslim Brotherhood in the Armed Forces.They are both abroad '.Raouf was court-martialled in absentia and sentenced to death.sami