Egypt holds 56 Brotherhood Islamists after sweeps

CAIRO, Feb 15 (Reuters) Egyptian security forces detained 56 members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood today in sweeps at dawn, intensifying a clampdown against the government's most powerful political rival.

Security sources said the men were arrested on charges of belonging to an outlawed group and possessing anti-government literature. The Brotherhood, which operates openly despite being officially banned, is Egypt's most powerful opposition group.

The Brotherhood condemned the sweeps as a ''pre-emptive move by the Egyptian regime'' ahead of elections for the upper house of parliament due in April and in which the Brotherhood is widely expected to take part.

Those arrested included the office managers of three Brotherhood members of parliament, the group said on its Web site.

The Brotherhood said many professionals were also held, including doctors, engineers and teachers.

The fresh arrests came a week after Egypt referred 40 members of the group including third-in-command Khairat el-Shatir for trial in military courts, where verdicts are often issued quickly and cannot be appealed.

Those 40 men, who face terrorism and money-laundering charges, will be the first Brotherhood members to face military trials since 2001. The Islamist group has said it was preparing for a tough legal fight.

Egypt stepped up its pressure on the Brotherhood since the group's strong showing in 2005 elections for the lower house of parliament, in which the Islamist group won nearly one-fifth of seats with members running as independents to bypass a ban.

The clampdown intensified after a protest by Islamist students at al-Azhar University in December in which Brotherhood students appeared wearing militia-style uniforms.

That protest infuriated the government and prompted state media to say the group was forming a militia. The Brotherhood denies the accusations.

Several hundred Brotherhood members have been arrested. The group's finances have also been targeted, with authorities detaining financiers, freezing assets and raiding businesses.

REUTERS SP RK1448