Security forces in Upper Egypt’s governorate of Fayoum seized a stash of weapons that supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood were plotting to use ahead of planned anti-government protests, the interior ministry announced in a statement Thursday.
One of the hideouts were in a graveyard south of Fayoum and contained an RPG, 16 automatic and sniper rifles and over 4,000 bullets, while the other was in a house of a member of the outlawed group, according to the statement.
The ministry said it raided five bomb factories around the country on Wednesday, accusing a militant group of coordinating with the Brotherhood to attack police checkpoints on the eve of planned protests.
“The armed wing of the Muslim Brotherhood intended to use the weapons in terrorist attacks as they take advantage of economic conditions to incite protests,” according to the statement.
Egyptian policemen are on high alert around the clock to “foil plots sown against the state,” Assistant Interior Minister for Media and Public Tarek Attia was quoted by Youm7 Saturday.
Speaking at a cultural forum organized by the prison authority, Attia asserted that the interior ministry in collaboration with the Egyptian armed forces “stepped up security measures across the country and at key sites to face terror incitement called upon by evil forces to promote extremism and chaos and hinder Egypt’s development path.”
The remarks come ahead of online calls for protests on 11 November to spark a popular uprising over the country’s economic situation. However, no specific group has officially called for such protests.
