Egypt’s interior ministry said Saturday it has arrested 17 Muslim Brotherhood members while they were meeting to devise ways to sabotage the Egyptian economy.
The ministry’s raid, based on information from the State Security Apparatus, took place in Qalioubiya governorate and targeted a Muslim Brotherhood cell it said was called the “crisis unit.”
The cell was planning to use recent economic decisions by the government to cast doubt on the abilities of the national economy and instigate citizens to stand against the economic development process, a ministry statement said.
The arrested include leading Brotherhood figure Shabaan El-Sayed, already wanted in a case, and 11 others in the meeting and five manning the location of their meeting.
They were found in possession of a birdshot gun and bullets. They were also in possession of $70,000 and EGP105,975.
The interior ministry said the arrested confessed on tape to their crimes, including plans to escalate the dollar shortage crisis, and have been referred to the prosecution for further questioning.
