Brotherhood ‘disavows’ Egypt violence, accuses media of incitement

The Brotherhood accused the military-backed authorities of using the Mansoura blast as a pretext to designate it as a “terrorist” group The Muslim Brotherhood has disavowed any ‘possible’ acts of violence in Egypt, accusing the media of inciting against the decades-old Islamist group. “Some TV hosts speak about a bombing targeting the Defense Ministry and the assassination of some public figures,” the Brotherhood said in a statement. “They blame the Muslim Brotherhood for these attacks in an attempt to incite the uprooting of the group.” The group cited one TV host who, according to the Brotherhood, spoke about a possible powerful explosion in the country. “The following day, a blast rocked a security headquarters in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura,” it said. One day after the Mansoura attack, the government designated the Brotherhood, from which ousted president Mohamed Morsi hails, a “terrorist” group. The Brotherhood accused the military-backed authorities of using the blast as a pretext to designate it as a “terrorist” group, even before investigating the explosion. Militant group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis has claimed responsibility for the Mansoura attack. The Muslim Brotherhood reiterated that it would maintain its peaceful course despite “suppression”. “The movement calls for peace, welfare and progress and is ruled by the Islamic values, which are against destruction and killing,” it said.