Egypt Arrests at Least 10 More Muslim Brotherhood Members

Egyptian security forces have arrested at least 10 more members of the country's largest opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood.

Thursday's arrests come after 17 Brotherhood members were detained earlier this week. The Egyptian government is intensifying its crackdown on the banned Islamist political group.

The Brotherhood says the government campaign is a direct reaction to the group's rejection of constitutional amendments proposed by President Hosni Mubarak.

Officials of the Brotherhood say the amendments are aimed at giving the ruling party more power and barring Muslim Brothers from politics.

The Brotherhood won a fifth of the seats in Egypt's parliament by running members as independents in the 2005 elections, making it the largest opposition group.

The constitutional amendments proposed by Mr. Mubarak would reduce the role of judges in monitoring elections and ban religious groups from forming political parties.

The Brotherhood advocates an Islamic state, achieved through peaceful means.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.