86 members of Brotherhoods held in Egypt

Egyptian authorities yesterday detained 86 members of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood, a security official told AFP, as part of a crackdown against the group ahead of key local elections next month.
"Most of those detained were going to register as candidates for the elctions," the official told AFP.
The members were detained in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, Beni Sueif, south of Cairo and in southern Egypt, the official said, saying the Islamists were accused of "belonging to an illegal organisation."
Hundreds of Brotherhood members have been arrested in the run-up to the elections, with 64 arrested on Monday alone.
Although officially banned, the Brotherhood holds a fifth of seats in parliament where its members sit as independents.
Traditionally dominated by the ruling National Democratic Party, the municipal polls are now expected to draw fierce competition after a constitutional amendment was passed in 2005.
The amendment requires independent presidential candidates to secure the backing of municipal councillors.
Egypt's municipal polls were postponed for two years in 2006 in what observers said was a way to avoid, or at least delay, another success for the Muslim Brotherhood.