Egypt police arrest 2 Islamist leaders

Egypt's Ministry of Interior has confirmed the arrest of two senior politicians of a Muslim Brotherhood-allied Islamist party. Abul-Ela Madi and his deputy Essam Soltan of the Wasat Party are accused of incitement to violence and insulting the judiciary. In a statement, the ministry said that the duo were arrested in the Mokattam area, southeastern Cairo, and that preparations for legal proceedings are underway. Judicial sources told Arab Today that arrest warrants had been issued for Madi and Soltan soon after the July 3 ouster of president Mohammed Morsi. It is believed that both men were found late Sunday hiding in a home in a Cairo neighbourhood, located near the main protest site of Morsi's supporters. They were taken to Tora prison, where a number of Brotherhood leaders are being detained. Wasat Party's Vice-President Hatem Azzam said authorities wanted to arrest the Islamist leaders for their support of democracy and rejection of Morsi's ouster. Azzam wrote on his Facebook page: "The state is arresting all the politicians who are against the ?military coup. They are bringing back a [Hosni] Mubarak-style state without Mubarak." The Wasat Party official added that both Madi and Soltan would not change their views about the military-backed regime, and would fight against the "fabricated political charges." Leader of the party's youth wing, Ahmed ?Maher said that the movement's ideology would live on. "Abul-Ela Madi and Essam Soltan have always fought for the truth and put Egypt’s interests first. They have even criticised the Brotherhood in the past. The Wasat ideology preserves the civil state, along with the identity and history of the state."?