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| Blast Injures at Least 5 on Cairo Bus | Blast Injures at Least 5 on Cairo Bus |
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| CAIRO — A bomb exploded on a busy street in the capital early Thursday, injuring five passengers on a nearby bus and stoking fears that militants were broadening a months-long campaign of attacks that has mainly targeted the security services. | |
| The police said they defused a second bomb near the area where the first went off, a short distance from Al-Azhar University, which has been the site of numerous anti-government protests in recent weeks. | The police said they defused a second bomb near the area where the first went off, a short distance from Al-Azhar University, which has been the site of numerous anti-government protests in recent weeks. |
| The bombing came a day after Egypt’s military-backed government designated the country’s most prominent political Islamist movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, as a terrorist group, criminalizing membership as well as any support for the Brotherhood’s activities. Analysts said the decision paved the way for the most severe repression of the group in decades and threatened to deepen a bloody civil conflict. | The bombing came a day after Egypt’s military-backed government designated the country’s most prominent political Islamist movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, as a terrorist group, criminalizing membership as well as any support for the Brotherhood’s activities. Analysts said the decision paved the way for the most severe repression of the group in decades and threatened to deepen a bloody civil conflict. |
| The designation capped a crackdown on the movement that began with the military ouster in July of Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president and a Brotherhood leader. The authorities have killed hundreds of Mr. Morsi’s supporters at demonstrations and thrown thousands more in prison. | The designation capped a crackdown on the movement that began with the military ouster in July of Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president and a Brotherhood leader. The authorities have killed hundreds of Mr. Morsi’s supporters at demonstrations and thrown thousands more in prison. |
| The fallout from Wednesday’s decision was swift. The police announced the first arrests under the terror designation, charging 16 Brotherhood supporters in the Sharqia governorate with belonging to a terrorist group, a charge that carries a five-year prison sentence, according to state news media. Four other people were arrested in the southern city of Aswan, because the Brotherhood “relied on them for distributing publications and inciting demonstrations,” according to Al-Ahram, the flagship state newspaper. | The fallout from Wednesday’s decision was swift. The police announced the first arrests under the terror designation, charging 16 Brotherhood supporters in the Sharqia governorate with belonging to a terrorist group, a charge that carries a five-year prison sentence, according to state news media. Four other people were arrested in the southern city of Aswan, because the Brotherhood “relied on them for distributing publications and inciting demonstrations,” according to Al-Ahram, the flagship state newspaper. |
| The authorities also shut down 59 nongovernmental organizations that they deemed affiliated with the Brotherhood in Kafr el-Sheikh, and was investigating more than 100 others, Al-Ahram reported. The Brotherhood presides over a vast social services network that has fed its popularity by providing services unmet by the government. | The authorities also shut down 59 nongovernmental organizations that they deemed affiliated with the Brotherhood in Kafr el-Sheikh, and was investigating more than 100 others, Al-Ahram reported. The Brotherhood presides over a vast social services network that has fed its popularity by providing services unmet by the government. |
| An Interior Ministry spokesman said Wednesday that those who were judged to be leaders of the Brotherhood could face the death penalty. The ministry also announced that it had stopped publication of the newspaper belonging to the Brotherhood’s political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, closing one of the few remaining domestic outlets for the group’s views. | An Interior Ministry spokesman said Wednesday that those who were judged to be leaders of the Brotherhood could face the death penalty. The ministry also announced that it had stopped publication of the newspaper belonging to the Brotherhood’s political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, closing one of the few remaining domestic outlets for the group’s views. |
| Officials appeared to be preparing the public for a protracted battle, as a private television channel flashed a banner that said “Egypt Fights Terrorism,” which had disappeared in recent months as the state tried to emphasize a return to normalcy. | Officials appeared to be preparing the public for a protracted battle, as a private television channel flashed a banner that said “Egypt Fights Terrorism,” which had disappeared in recent months as the state tried to emphasize a return to normalcy. |
| On Wednesday, the military released comments by Gen. Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi, Egypt’s defense minister, quoting him as saying that the “freedom and stability” Egyptians sought “will not come easily.” | On Wednesday, the military released comments by Gen. Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi, Egypt’s defense minister, quoting him as saying that the “freedom and stability” Egyptians sought “will not come easily.” |
| “Don’t let these treacherous terrorist incidents affect you or your spirits,” he said. “We’re on the side of pronounced righteousness.” | “Don’t let these treacherous terrorist incidents affect you or your spirits,” he said. “We’re on the side of pronounced righteousness.” |
| Officials have escalated the crackdown on the Brotherhood despite the fact that a separate group called Ansar Beit al-Maqdis has claimed responsibility for several of the most recent bombings and assassinations. On Wednesday, the group released a statement saying it orchestrated a bombing of a police headquarters north of Cairo earlier this week that killed 16 people. But the government blamed the Brotherhood for the bombing, without citing any evidence. | Officials have escalated the crackdown on the Brotherhood despite the fact that a separate group called Ansar Beit al-Maqdis has claimed responsibility for several of the most recent bombings and assassinations. On Wednesday, the group released a statement saying it orchestrated a bombing of a police headquarters north of Cairo earlier this week that killed 16 people. But the government blamed the Brotherhood for the bombing, without citing any evidence. |
Mayy El Sheikh contributed reporting. | Mayy El Sheikh contributed reporting. |