A number of Muslim Brotherhood leaders in Kafr Al-Sheikh were besieged inside a mosque by unknown attackers in the city of Fouah on Saturday. The city's secretary of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as other Brotherhood leaders and some residents were trapped inside the Abdallah Al-Omary mosque by "thugs" according to a statement by the FJP. The statement held members of Al-Tayar Al-Sha'aby and Tamarod campaign responsible; they added that the assailants prevented them from praying Maghreb (Sunset) prayers and burned and looted a number of stores owned by FJP members. "The FJP stresses that besieging mosques and attacking private property is more of a ‘cowardly criminal act' than a form of political dispute or peaceful demonstration," the statement read. Al-Tayar Al-Sha'aby, a coalition of socialist parties, also released a statement accusing Brotherhood members of physically assaulting Mohamed Al-Shaboury, a member of the coalition, who was transferred to the intensive care unit of Fouah Central Hospital for his injuries. They added that Brotherhood members attempted to attack a shop owned by Al-Tayar Al-Sha'aby member Gaber Al-Araby but were stopped by residents. Al-Tayar Al-Sha'aby in Kafr Al-Sheikh filed a report against FJP members involved in the attack. Ahmed Ghazy, a communications official at Al-Tayar Al-Sha'aby, stated that the attack came after they protested on Friday against President Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood in preparation for opposition protests on 30 June. "The imam of the mosque had an argument with an Al-Tayar Al-Sha'aby member who was collecting signatures for the Tamarod campaign. Brotherhood members then attacked Al-Shaboury and residents responded by besieging the mosque," said Mahmoud Torky, a former Al-Dostour member in Kafr Al-Sheikh. He added that one resident also attacked shops owned by FJP members. The FJP in Kafr Al-Sheikh announced that legal measures would be taken against the assailants and "whoever incited them to commit such violations." The organisation went on to emphasise that state institutions should take responsibility for protecting citizens and properties. "The interior ministry should take all necessary measures against acts of sabotage and chaos planned by the National Salvation Front and Tamarod in cooperation with former regime loyalists," the statement read.
