CAIRO: The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest organized movement, called on Saturday for a purge of former regime figures in government and disbandment of the feared State Security Investigations Service. The Islamist movement, banned in 1954, also called in a statement for a purge of corrupt businessmen and media figures who supported the government. "Millions gathered on Friday in Tahrir Square, Alexandria and governorate capitals and their chants reached the heavens demanding that the country be purified of former officials and corrupt businessmen," it said. "This purification cannot be limited to a handful of former officials and corrupt businessmen, but it must extend to all of those who corrupted political and legislative life," it said. The Brotherhood, whose members were regularly detained by the interior ministry, also called for the trial of the State Security Investigations Service officials, whom rights groups accused of conducting torture. "(The purge) should extend to the terrible State Security Investigations, which practiced brutal torture against citizens," it said. "This service must be purged, dissolved and its arrogant people must be tried, to end terrorism and bring security to citizens." Interior ministry forces were forced to abandon their posts and give way to the military on Jan. 28 after nationwide rights targeted police stations. Habib Al-Adly was later sacked as interior minister in a cabinet reshuffle that also shut out businessmen but kept other prominent ministers in place. Adly is now in jail on suspicion of money laundering. Several former ministers and businessmen who had close ties to the former ruling party have been slapped with travel bans and had their assets frozen. The military, which took over when former president Hosni Mubarak resigned on February 11, allowed the new cabinet to stay on in a caretaker capacity until new elections are held.
