CAIRO -- An Egyptian court on Monday banned the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group that was the chief supporter of deposed president Mohamed Morsi, and ordered all of the organization’s assets confiscated.
The interim government has been steadily escalating a crackdown on the group since the July 3 coup that toppled Morsi, but this represents by far the most drastic step against it to date.
Most of the Brotherhood’s leadership is imprisoned, including Morsi, and those who are not in jail have gone into hiding. The ousted leader and his senior lieutenants face an array of charges including serious accusations related to murder.
The ruling, which came after the court was asked to review the movement’s status as a nongovernmental organization, bans all activity by the Brotherhood, which was previously one of the oldest and most influential Islamist movements in the Middle East. The text of the ruling was made public by Egypt's official news agency.
