Egyptian authorities arrested the fourth-highest official in the country's powerful Muslim Brotherhood early Sunday, one of several senior members of the movement picked up in a crackdown ahead of a key referendum on reforms to presidential election rules.
Mahmoud Ezzat, secretary-general of the outlawed Brotherhood, and head of its Cairo operations is the highest-profile Brotherhood arrest since 1996, a police official said.
The Brotherhood's deputy leader, Mohammed Habib, confirmed the arrest to The AP, and another Brotherhood official said 19 other members were arrested across Egypt at dawn Sunday. According to police, a total of 16 members were arrested.
© 2005 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
