Egyptian authorities have arrested 16 Muslim Brotherhood members associated with plans by the group s fugitive leaders in Turkey to undermine the country s security and economy, the interior ministry said.
The suspects were arrested in Egypt after the National Security service uncovered a plot by the fugitives intended to harm the economy and carry out a series of attacks against the police, military and judiciary to create chaos in the country, the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
The plan allegedly involved setting up secret networks designed to smuggle foreign currency and wanted Brotherhood members out of the country to Europe through Turkey, and to offer financial support to Brotherhood members in Egypt to carry out violent attacks.
The ministry named four fugitives who it said have been identified by authorities as the orchestrators of the plot. Sixteen other Brotherhood members based in Egypt and linked to the plan have been arrested, it said.
Egypt designated the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation in 2013, months after the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi following mass protests against his one-year rule.
