THE ASSETS of 21 Islamist leaders, including those of the Muslim Brotherhood's Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie, were frozen this week as a result of accusations that they had encouraged the use of violence. The list includes the assets of Khairat Al-Shater, believed to be the engineer of the group's political strategy and the initial presidential candidate of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) during last year's presidential elections, which were eventually won by ousted former president Mohamed Morsi. Al-Shater is also the group's chief financier. The list also includes the assets of FJP chairman Saad Al-Katatni, the former speaker of parliament. According to media sources, the banks have been instructed to stop all transactions by these individuals. Meanwhile, the Egyptian stock exchange is investigating if any of the businessmen have a registration enabling them to buy and sell stocks in the market. The businesses of the Islamist businessmen are mainly in trading and retail, and very few of them are thought to have traded shares in the market. A leading banker told the state news agency MENA that such precautionary measures were usually taken when the owners of such assets were thought to threaten national security. The Egyptian authorities took the same measures immediately after the 25 January Revolution against leading figures in the former Mubarak regime for fear that they might try to transfer their wealth abroad. The Islamist leaders are accused of stirring up violence in Giza's Nahda Square in early July, at the Muslim Brotherhood's Muqattam headquarters in late June, at the Republican Guard headquarters in early July, and at Al-Ittihadiya presidential palace in December 2012.
