3 dead in Egypt clashes, 265 arrested: ministry

CAIRO, Egypt (UPDATED) – Three people were killed in clashes in Egypt Friday, December 27, between Islamist protesters and opponents while 265 were arrested as police cracked down on Muslim Brotherhood demonstrations, the interior ministry said.

“Brotherhood actions caused the deaths of 3 citizens when they clashed with residents,” the interior ministry said in a statement on the nationwide clashes.

Friday’s crackdown comes two days after the government declared the movement, to which deposed president Mohamed Morsi belongs, a terrorist group. (READ: Egypt declares Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group.)

The decision is likely to accelerate a crackdown on the Brotherhood that has killed more than 1,000 people, mostly Islamists, in street clashes and seen thousands imprisoned since Morsi’s overthrow by the military in July.

The decision lumps together Al-Qaeda-inspired militants who have killed scores of police and soldiers with the more moderate Brotherhood, although authorities have provided no proof of any links between the two.

The announcement came the day after a suicide car bombing of a police headquarters in the Nile Delta killed 15 people and wounded more than 100.

A Muslim Brotherhood leader lambasted the decision and said the organization would keep up its protests across Egypt despite the unprecedented move against the 85-year-old group, the country’s oldest and largest Islamist movement. – with reports from Agence France-Presse/Rappler.com