State-run television al-Masriya reported that Aref was detained during the early hours of Thursday.

Aref is the latest senior Muslim Brotherhood figure to be taken into custody by Egypt’s army-backed interim government.

On August 20, the security forces detained about 100 members of the Muslim Brotherhood including its spiritual leader Mohamed Badie.

Speaking on the future of the Brotherhood after Badie’s arrest, Aref stated on his Facebook page that “the general guide is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood and that any arrest among the leaders of the organization will not affect it, as the Brotherhood is a member of the National Coalition to Support Legitimacy that rejects the coup.”

“We reiterate that the issue is neither political nor related to a party, but a national one that was orchestrated and planned,” he added.

Egypt’s army-backed government has accused the Muslim Brotherhood of seeking to destabilize the country following the ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi on July 3.

About 900 people, including nearly 100 soldiers and police, have been killed in clashes in the country since August 14, when security forces of the interim government launched a crackdown on thousands of peaceful supporters of Morsi in Cairo.

NTJ/NJF