The Ministry of the Interior in Egypt announced on Friday that it has arrested 17 members of the Muslim Brotherhood in Alexandria who are accused of causing the recent floods in the coastal city, Anadolu has reported.
The ministry referred to the Brotherhood members as “terrorists” and said that the National Security Agency received a tip-off that orders were issued by the movement’s leadership for them to form groups in order to carry out “hostile operations” in Alexandria.
Apart from the floods, the 17 are accused of causing “several crises” in the governorate. These include blocking sewage pipes and damaging electricity transformers and rubbish containers. The intention, it is alleged, was to create anger against the government amongst the people of Alexandria.
Egypt has witnessed severe weather and heavy rain over the past few days which has left 17 people dead and 28 injured. Last week, five people died in Alexandria after heavy rain flooded homes; the victims appear to have been electrocuted when the water came flooding in.
Activists are viewing the ministry statement with scepticism and have criticised it on social media. They suggest that the Muslim Brotherhood is now the official scapegoat for all of the Egyptian government’s failures.
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