Egypt: 140 people held for 'terrorizing' students

Egyptian authorities on Saturday extended the detention of 140 members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood group, including its number three leader, over a militia-style demonstration at a university. State Prosecutor Hesham Badawi said that he ordered 15-day-detention on Friday and Saturday for 140 members of the group, including leading member Khayrat el-Shater, over "terrorizing" university students and plotting to overthrow the government. The detention order followed a demonstration at Al-Azhar university, Egypt's foremost institute of Islamic learning. First Deputy Leader of the group Mohammed Habit on Saturday criticized the move as "unprecedented, and a mockery." He said that over the past four decades, the group has acted as a nonviolent opposition group that uses "legal channels to press for reforms." There was no mention of some 80 other members that the group had said earlier were among those detained.