Egyptian authorities have detained at least eight members of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood movement in the northern city of Alexandria.
"Members of the brotherhood were arrested Friday in Alexandria, some of them as they were eating in a restaurant," Issam al-Aryan, a spokesman for the group, said, according to Reuters. He added that among those arrested was Helmi al-Gazzar, a local leader in Cairo.
According to the movement's website, another local Brotherhood official, Hassan al-Brens, was also detained.
A statement posted on the site said: "These arrests are the result of an escalation by the Egyptian government, which is cracking down on the Muslim Brothers in response to the movement's activities in parliament."
