Leader of Muslim Brotherhood held after crackdown

Egypt’s army-backed authorities detained the Muslim Brotherhood’s leader yesterday, signalling their determination to crush the group and silence protests against the ousting of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

The arrest of Mohamed Badie, 70, the Brotherhood’s general guide, followed the bloody suppression of rallies demanding the reinstatement of Egypt’s first freely elected president, toppled by the military last month.

Egypt is enduring its bloodiest week of internal strife since the monarchy was overthrown in 1952, with about 900 people killed, including 100 police and soldiers, after the authorities broke up Brotherhood protest camps in Cairo last Wednesday.