Egyptian police detain 14 Islamists in Cairo

CAIRO, Aug 5 (Reuters) Egyptian police detained 14 members of the Muslim Brotherhood, the country's most powerful opposition group, a security source said today.

A Muslim Brotherhood source confirmed the arrests.

The men, who include Hamed el-Sayed, a former parliamentary candidate, were at a house in a Cairo suburb when police raided it yesterday night, the security source said.

They are being held on suspicion of belonging to an illegal organisation and possessing Brotherhood literature, he added.

Egyptian police regularly hold members of the Brotherhood for long periods and then release them without charge or trial.

The Brotherhood seeks an Islamic state through democratic elections, and operates openly despite having been banned since 1954. Members stand for election as independents, winning roughly one-fifth of seats in the influential lower house of parliament in 2005.

REUTERS RSA BST1700