CAIRO: An Egyptian court has ordered the release of two leaders from Egypt s largest Muslim activist group after being jailed for organizing pro-reform protests, police officials and the group s Web site said Monday. The two Muslim Brotherhood leaders were among more than 500 members detained by authorities in May after the group led demonstrations in support of two reformist judges. The court approved the release of prominent Brotherhood figures Essam El-Erian and Mohammed Morsi, and nine other members, said a police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to make statements to the media. The Brotherhood s Web site also carried the ruling. But prosecutors will likely appeal and delay any immediate release, said the group s lawyer, Abdel Moneim Abdel Maqsoud. He said 80 Brotherhood members remain in jail from the sweeps. El-Erian was arrested last year during a wave of anti-government protests, but was released after the presidential elections in September. Morsi is a member of the Brotherhood s political bureau and formerly headed its bloc in parliament. Police stepped up efforts to crack down on the Brotherhood in March, when members began demonstrating against the extension of the emergency laws and in support of two reformist judges who called attention to alleged electoral fraud. In May, a judiciary panel reprimanded one judge and cleared the other.
