Egyptian security forces raided the home of a man who planned to assassinate Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi during his visit to Alexandria last Friday, the Egyptian newspaper Al Ahram reported Tuesday. The motive for the attempted murder of the Muslim Brotherhood president is not yet known. Police arrested the suspect and confiscated ammunition, explosives, maps of Morsi's route during a visit, and communications and eavesdropping equipment. The murder of Morsi would send shock waves throughout the region and probably spark a resumption of the violence that has plagued Egypt since the Arab Spring rebellions last year that resulted in the ouster and later the arrest of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The Islamic parties of the Salafists and the Muslim Brotherhood won a solid majority in ensuing elections to the parliament, and Morsi won the Muslim Brotherhood bid for presidency. The first months of his regime have been marked by a continuation of the brute force exercised by the police under Mubarak and the temporary military regime. Police on Sunday assaulted disabled citizens as they sat in their wheelchairs during a protest Sunday to demand benefits they said are being denied despite guarantees by law. The Cairo-based Nadim Centre for the Rehabilitation of Torture Victims recently reported 34 cases of death, 88 cases of torture, and seven cases of sexual assault by Egyptian police during Morsi's first 100 days in office, according to Al Ahram. Many of the deaths were the result of the use of live fire by police trying to disperse demonstrations. Torture and abuse as well as the kidnapping of at least eight political activists were also recorded. Dr. Magda Adly, director of El-Nadim Center, told the newspaper he believes police torture tactics have not changed since the days of Mubarak. "On the contrary, there is a retaliation attitude used by the police while torturing activists. However, authorities continue to deny any torture is being used," said Adly. “[There is] no difference between the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party and Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party." Israelnationalnews
