Egypt arrests 193 Muslim Brotherhood supporters

Egyptian security forces arrested 193 supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood from nine governorates on Friday, the ministry of interior said in a statement.

Thursday and Friday witnessed nationwide protests commemorating the anniversary of the Rabaa massacre, in which over 2,000 unarmed protesters have been killed by police and army troops.

The Anti-Coup National Alliance, the flagship anti-coup alliance, has earlier called for an uprising on the first anniversary of the Rabaa massacre. It said in a statement on Friday that it “categorically rejects” any calls for armed resistance of the coup, following announcements by a number of youth groups that they would resort to armed action against authorities, such as the so-called Hilwan brigades and the Popular Resistance Movement, whose first statements have been translated by MEMO.

A leader in the anti-coup alliance told Anadolu on Friday that non-violence is a “strategic choice” and that they have no links with any of the newly formed youth groups.

The interior ministry says the arrested protesters were armed. However, the Anti-Coup Alliance and the Muslim Brotherhood insist their supporters are non-violent.

The alliance said that at least seven protesters have been killed on Friday during the violent dispersal of demonstrations by security forces. The ministry of health says only four fatalities have been reported.