Islamist alliance condemns attack on minister, calls for pro-Morsi protests

The National Alliance to Support Legitimacy condemns the bomb attack targeting the interior minister, urges peaceful protest against the 'coup'

A coalition of supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi has vowed to continue protesting against the country's interim government despite Thursday's bomb attack against the interior minister.
The National Alliance to Support Legitimacy, which is led by Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, called for demonstrations on Friday to continue pressing for its demands, primarily reinstating Morsi, who was ousted by the military in 3 July amid mass popular protests against him.
Minister Mohamed Ibrahimsurvived an assassination attempt when a bomb detonated near his convoy in eastern Cairo on Thursday morning. At least 21 people,including six security officers and a child,were injured. Several shops and vehicles were also damaged in the blast.
In a statement on Thursday, the group asserted that it “maintains peacefulness in all its events.”
It called on its supporters not “to lose hope as time goes by… and not to be dragged into violence…” saying that it would continue to protest under the banner “the people protect their revolution.”
In response to the bomb attack, Egypt's government has said that it will continue to stand firm against "whoever tries to attack the state's security or the Egyptian people."
The alliance in its statement condemned the attack on Ibrahim.
“The alliance stresses that it is against all acts of violence, even if they target those who commit crimes against the people, because we aim to uphold the state of law,” read the statement.
The alliance has repeatedly condemned the interior ministry for its treatment of pro-Morsi protesters since Morsi's ouster.
A nightly curfew and a state of emergency were imposed following the crackdown, and in recent weeks many Brotherhood leaders and allies have been arrested and charged with a variety of offences related to inciting violence.
Regular violent attacks on security forces in Sinai since Morsi's ouster, which have killed dozens of policemen, have also been blamed by the government on the Brotherhood, although the group has denied any link with the violence.
“The alliance expects that acts [such as the bomb attack] could be used to extend the state of emergency and expand brutality, repression and arrests pursued by the coup's authorities,” it added in its statement.
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