Another senior Brotherhood detainee was identified as Issam Al Erian, a
member of Guidance Council. Another Guidance Council member was identified
as Abdul Rahman Bir.
In all, the sources said 34 Brotherhood members were arrested in raids
by security forces on Feb. 7-8. They said the detention of the leadership
was meant to block elections within the Brotherhood to select a slate to run
in Egyptian parliamentary elections in 2010.
"This is part of the state's campaign against the group," Guidance
Council member Mohammed Katatni said. "The group is now getting ready for
parliamentary elections and this campaign is to stem such activities."
The Brotherhood, banned in 1954 but over the last decade allowed
informal activity, controls about 20 percent of the 440-member parliament.
Polls assert that the Islamic opposition would lose many seats in the
forthcoming elections.
The Brotherhood also reported the arrest of 10 senior provincial
members. The sources said security forces raided six provinces in a 24-hour
period, including Cairo.
The crackdown was said to have been the first since the selection of
Mohammed Badie as Brotherhood leader in January 2010. Badie has been
regarded as a member of the conservative wing, which sought a reconciliation
with the regime of President Hosni Mubarak.
In a statement, Badie expressed concern over the Egyptian crackdown. He
said the Mubarak regime was determined to prevent the Brotherhood from
repeating its gains in the 2005 parliamentary elections.