Egypt’s el-Sissi: Brotherhood will not return

CAIRO: Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, the former military chief who removed Egypt’s president and who is now poised to win the post in elections this month, says the Muslim Brotherhood will never return as an organization, accusing it of using militant groups as cover to destabilize the country.

El-Sissi spoke in the first TV interview of his campaign, aired late on Monday, vowing that restoring stability and bringing development are his priorities.

The comments were a seemingly unequivocal rejection of any political reconciliation with the Brotherhood, which was Egypt´s most powerful political force until el-Sissi removed President Mohammed Morsi, a member of the group, last summer.

Since ousting Morsi, el-Sissi has been riding an overwhelming media frenzy lauding him as Egypt´s savior, and his status as the country´s strongest figure all but guarantees him a victory in the May 26-27 election.

El-Sissi´s only opponent in the race is leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahi, the third-place finisher in the 2012 election won by Morsi.

El-Sissi´s comments were a stark signal of his intention to ensure the elimination of the 86-year-old Brotherhood as both a political and ideological force in the country. He is building on an unprecedented popular resentment of the group, after its rise to power in the last three years.

Asked whether the Brotherhood will no longer exist under his presidency, el-Sissi replied, "Yes. Just like that." "It´s not me that finished it, the Egyptians have. The problem is not with me," he said.

The Brotherhood and its allies won every election following the 2011 ouster of autocrat Hosni Mubarak, dominating the parliament and capturing the presidency under Morsi.

The Brotherhood´s electoral strength was largely rooted in a widespread grassroots organization it had built up for decades despite being banned under Mubarak.

But after a year in office, millions joined protests demanding Morsi´s removal, accusing his Brotherhood of monopolizing power and seeking to change the country´s identity along the lines of Brotherhood ideology — prompting el-Sissi´s ouster of Morsi.

Since then, there´s been no sign of reconciliation between the sides. The Brotherhood and its allies have denounced Morsi´s removal as a military coup that has wrecked democracy, rejecting the new government and persisting in a campaign of street protests.

Security forces have waged a ferocious crackdown on Morsi supporters, clashing with protesters. Hundreds have been killed and more than 16,000 members of the Brotherhood and other have been arrested.

In the joint interview with two private Egyptian TV stations CBC and ONTV, el-Sissi directly accused the Brotherhood of being behind the campaign of bombings and shootings. He said the movement "created" Islamic militant groups to use as "covers to fight from behind ... to keep the movement away from any accusations."

He said a senior Brotherhood leader had warned him that if he removed Morsi, extremist fighters from Afghanistan and elsewhere would come to Egypt to fight.

The Brotherhood denies any connection to militants.

He said the Brotherhood´s ideology was based on "arrogance in religion" — and the presence of that strain of thought had destabilized Egyptian society for decades.

"The thought structure of these groups says that we are not true Muslims, and they believed conflict was inevitable because they consider us non-believers," he said. "It will not work for there to be such thinking again."

He appealed to the public to support the police and the armed forces in their fight against terrorism. He vowed to respond to demands by the police to boost their capabilities to fight violence and said the armed forces are poised to help the police in such a task.

The 59-year-old el-Sissi retired from the military in March with the rank of field marshal to launch his candidacy.

The one-hour interview was his first direct address to the public since he declared his intention to run and after the start of the official campaigning on May 2.

His election campaign is likely to largely be made up of TV and media interviews and private meetings, with few street appearances, mainly because of security concerns.

In the interview, he said two assassination plots against him have already been uncovered, without giving details.

A second part of the interview, likely to go into more details about his economic program, is to be aired on Tuesday. (AP)

Egypt’s el-Sissi: Brotherhood will not return

CAIRO: Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, the former military chief who removed Egypt’s president and who is now poised to win the post in elections this month, says the Muslim Brotherhood will never return as an organization, accusing it of using militant groups as cover to destabilize the country.

El-Sissi spoke in the first TV interview of his campaign, aired late on Monday, vowing that restoring stability and bringing development are his priorities.

The comments were a seemingly unequivocal rejection of any political reconciliation with the Brotherhood, which was Egypt´s most powerful political force until el-Sissi removed President Mohammed Morsi, a member of the group, last summer.

Since ousting Morsi, el-Sissi has been riding an overwhelming media frenzy lauding him as Egypt´s savior, and his status as the country´s strongest figure all but guarantees him a victory in the May 26-27 election.

El-Sissi´s only opponent in the race is leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahi, the third-place finisher in the 2012 election won by Morsi.

El-Sissi´s comments were a stark signal of his intention to ensure the elimination of the 86-year-old Brotherhood as both a political and ideological force in the country. He is building on an unprecedented popular resentment of the group, after its rise to power in the last three years.

Asked whether the Brotherhood will no longer exist under his presidency, el-Sissi replied, "Yes. Just like that." "It´s not me that finished it, the Egyptians have. The problem is not with me," he said.

The Brotherhood and its allies won every election following the 2011 ouster of autocrat Hosni Mubarak, dominating the parliament and capturing the presidency under Morsi.

The Brotherhood´s electoral strength was largely rooted in a widespread grassroots organization it had built up for decades despite being banned under Mubarak.

But after a year in office, millions joined protests demanding Morsi´s removal, accusing his Brotherhood of monopolizing power and seeking to change the country´s identity along the lines of Brotherhood ideology — prompting el-Sissi´s ouster of Morsi.

Since then, there´s been no sign of reconciliation between the sides. The Brotherhood and its allies have denounced Morsi´s removal as a military coup that has wrecked democracy, rejecting the new government and persisting in a campaign of street protests.

Security forces have waged a ferocious crackdown on Morsi supporters, clashing with protesters. Hundreds have been killed and more than 16,000 members of the Brotherhood and other have been arrested.

In the joint interview with two private Egyptian TV stations CBC and ONTV, el-Sissi directly accused the Brotherhood of being behind the campaign of bombings and shootings. He said the movement "created" Islamic militant groups to use as "covers to fight from behind ... to keep the movement away from any accusations."

He said a senior Brotherhood leader had warned him that if he removed Morsi, extremist fighters from Afghanistan and elsewhere would come to Egypt to fight.

The Brotherhood denies any connection to militants.

He said the Brotherhood´s ideology was based on "arrogance in religion" — and the presence of that strain of thought had destabilized Egyptian society for decades.

"The thought structure of these groups says that we are not true Muslims, and they believed conflict was inevitable because they consider us non-believers," he said. "It will not work for there to be such thinking again."

He appealed to the public to support the police and the armed forces in their fight against terrorism. He vowed to respond to demands by the police to boost their capabilities to fight violence and said the armed forces are poised to help the police in such a task.

The 59-year-old el-Sissi retired from the military in March with the rank of field marshal to launch his candidacy.

The one-hour interview was his first direct address to the public since he declared his intention to run and after the start of the official campaigning on May 2.

His election campaign is likely to largely be made up of TV and media interviews and private meetings, with few street appearances, mainly because of security concerns.

In the interview, he said two assassination plots against him have already been uncovered, without giving details.

A second part of the interview, likely to go into more details about his economic program, is to be aired on Tuesday. (AP)

Egypt’s el-Sissi: Brotherhood will not return

CAIRO: Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, the former military chief who removed Egypt’s president and who is now poised to win the post in elections this month, says the Muslim Brotherhood will never return as an organization, accusing it of using militant groups as cover to destabilize the country.

El-Sissi spoke in the first TV interview of his campaign, aired late on Monday, vowing that restoring stability and bringing development are his priorities.

The comments were a seemingly unequivocal rejection of any political reconciliation with the Brotherhood, which was Egypt´s most powerful political force until el-Sissi removed President Mohammed Morsi, a member of the group, last summer.

Since ousting Morsi, el-Sissi has been riding an overwhelming media frenzy lauding him as Egypt´s savior, and his status as the country´s strongest figure all but guarantees him a victory in the May 26-27 election.

El-Sissi´s only opponent in the race is leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahi, the third-place finisher in the 2012 election won by Morsi.

El-Sissi´s comments were a stark signal of his intention to ensure the elimination of the 86-year-old Brotherhood as both a political and ideological force in the country. He is building on an unprecedented popular resentment of the group, after its rise to power in the last three years.

Asked whether the Brotherhood will no longer exist under his presidency, el-Sissi replied, "Yes. Just like that." "It´s not me that finished it, the Egyptians have. The problem is not with me," he said.

The Brotherhood and its allies won every election following the 2011 ouster of autocrat Hosni Mubarak, dominating the parliament and capturing the presidency under Morsi.

The Brotherhood´s electoral strength was largely rooted in a widespread grassroots organization it had built up for decades despite being banned under Mubarak.

But after a year in office, millions joined protests demanding Morsi´s removal, accusing his Brotherhood of monopolizing power and seeking to change the country´s identity along the lines of Brotherhood ideology — prompting el-Sissi´s ouster of Morsi.

Since then, there´s been no sign of reconciliation between the sides. The Brotherhood and its allies have denounced Morsi´s removal as a military coup that has wrecked democracy, rejecting the new government and persisting in a campaign of street protests.

Security forces have waged a ferocious crackdown on Morsi supporters, clashing with protesters. Hundreds have been killed and more than 16,000 members of the Brotherhood and other have been arrested.

In the joint interview with two private Egyptian TV stations CBC and ONTV, el-Sissi directly accused the Brotherhood of being behind the campaign of bombings and shootings. He said the movement "created" Islamic militant groups to use as "covers to fight from behind ... to keep the movement away from any accusations."

He said a senior Brotherhood leader had warned him that if he removed Morsi, extremist fighters from Afghanistan and elsewhere would come to Egypt to fight.

The Brotherhood denies any connection to militants.

He said the Brotherhood´s ideology was based on "arrogance in religion" — and the presence of that strain of thought had destabilized Egyptian society for decades.

"The thought structure of these groups says that we are not true Muslims, and they believed conflict was inevitable because they consider us non-believers," he said. "It will not work for there to be such thinking again."

He appealed to the public to support the police and the armed forces in their fight against terrorism. He vowed to respond to demands by the police to boost their capabilities to fight violence and said the armed forces are poised to help the police in such a task.

The 59-year-old el-Sissi retired from the military in March with the rank of field marshal to launch his candidacy.

The one-hour interview was his first direct address to the public since he declared his intention to run and after the start of the official campaigning on May 2.

His election campaign is likely to largely be made up of TV and media interviews and private meetings, with few street appearances, mainly because of security concerns.

In the interview, he said two assassination plots against him have already been uncovered, without giving details.

A second part of the interview, likely to go into more details about his economic program, is to be aired on Tuesday. (AP)

Egyptian court jails 102 Brotherhood supporters for 10 years

CAIRO: An Egyptian criminal court has sentenced 102 defendants it describes as Muslim Brotherhood supporters to 10 years in prison each on charges of violent rioting in a Cairo neighborhood and possession of weapons.

Egypt´s state news agency said the Saturday ruling puts the defendants under police surveillance for a period of five years after the end of their prison sentences. Two other defendants were jailed for seven years in the case.

The ruling is linked to demonstrations staged to protest the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi by the military in July.

Morsi´s ouster followed days of mass demonstrations demanding his resignation.

The prosecutors charged the defendants with gathering illegally with intent to inflict material and moral harm to others and public property, which led to one death. (AP)

102 Muslim Brotherhood supporters jailed for 10 years

An Egyptian criminal court on Saturday sentenced 102 defendants it describes as Muslim Brotherhood supporters to 10 years in prison each on charges of violent rioting in a Cairo neighbourhood and possession of weapons.

Egypt’s state news agency said the ruling puts the defendants under police surveillance for a period of five years after the end of their prison sentences. Two other defendants were jailed for seven years in the case.

The prosecutors charged the defendants with gathering illegally with intent to inflict material and moral harm to others and public property, which led to one death.

683 Muslim Brotherhood supporters sentenced to death

An Egyptian court has added yet another dimension to the ongoing crackdown against the supporters of deposed President Mohamed Morsy by sentencing to death 683 backers of the Muslim Brotherhood, including the organisation’s Supreme Guide, Mohamed Badie.

A court in the city of Minya, found the defendants guilty of attacking a police station on August 14, 2013, which led to the killing of a police officer. The assault apparently followed the crackdown on two pro-Morsy encampments in Cairo that led to the deaths of at least 1,000 supporters of the deposed President.

The defendants were also found guilty of inciting and committing violence, rioting, and destroying public and private property. The Grand Mufti of the country must now ratify the verdict, before the sentences can be carried out. The final judgment will be passed on June 21, after the Grand Mufti has arrived at a conclusion.

On Monday, intervention by the Grand Mufti spared the lives of 492 people out of a group of 529 who had been sentenced to death by the same court in March. The Minya court pronounced that only 37 will now face capital punishment, while the rest will spend the remaining part of their lives in jail.

In the shadow of the court verdict, the interim Egyptian administration is engaged in hectic preparations for fresh Presidential elections next month in the hope of overriding the storm that has been stirred by its heavy crackdown against the Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters.

Seeking legitimacy, Field Marshall Abel Fattah El-Sisi — the mastermind behind Mr. Morsy’s exit — is standing in the two-day presidential elections that commence on May 26. Analysts say that there is little doubt that the former military chief will win the polls, where he has to contend with only one candidate — Hamdeen Sabahi, who had stood third in the elections that had brought Mr. Morsy to power. The deposed President’s supporters and pro-Brotherhood political parties have called for a boycott of the upcoming elections.