Egyptian youth movement leader arrested

CAIRO -- Prominent youth activist Ahmed Maher was arrested on Friday as he sought to leave the Cairo international airport, members of his April 6 youth movement said.

Maher, who helped lead the revolution that ousted longtime President Hosni Mubarak, will be held for four days pending investigations into charges of resisting authority, insulting the police, and disturbing traffic, the Middle East News Agency reported.

He was arrested only minutes after returning from the United State. The charges were in connection with protests outside the Egyptian interior minister’s residence in March against the Islamist government that now controls the nation.

The April 6 movement had called for demonstrations on March 30 to demand the minister be removed and held accountable for the death of protesters at anti-Islamist demonstrations.

The prosecution had already commenced an investigation into the demonstrations and questioned many of those arrested by police forces that night.

Maher is one of many activists and journalists arrested recently on grounds of insulting figures of authority. Satirist and talk show host Bassem Youssef was arrested last month on charges that he insulted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi and the Islamic religion.

Despite its public support for Morsi against former strongman Hosni Mubarak and opponent Ahmed Shafiq in the 2012 presidential elections, the movement has taken part in several anti-Morsi protests since he came to power last June.

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