Cairo: Egypt s public prosecutor remanded six senior members of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood in custody for 15 days on Monday on charges of belonging to an illegal organization and possessing Brotherhood literature. The six members, including a member of the group s Guidance Council and three businessmen, were detained on Sunday as part of a continuing crackdown on the Islamist movement, which the government refuses to recognize despite its electoral successes. Security sources said on Sunday that police had detained five Muslim Brotherhood members, but judicial sources on Monday gave names for six of them. The most prominent is Mohamed Ali Bishr of the Guidance Office, which acts as the organization's executive committee. Brotherhood members, elected as independents, have 88 members in the 454-member parliament. The authorities restrict the group s activities but it does have an office open in Cairo. The ruling National Democratic Party is drafting constitutional amendments which could make it more difficult for Brotherhood members to seek elected office. In parallel, the police have arrested several groups of members over the last month. The Brotherhood says the aim of the arrests is to thwart Brotherhood opposition to the amendments. -Reuters
