Egypt arrests 3 ex-ministers, corruption alleged

CAIRO—Egyptian authorities arrested on Thursday former Interior Minister Habib el-Adly and two other ex-ministers who are under investigation for corruption, security officials said.

Authorities also arrested steel tycoon Ahmed Ezz, once a prominent member of the ouster leader Hosni Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party.

El-Adly, whose job gave him control over the 500,000-strong security forces, has been widely blamed for the deadly brutality used by riot police against demonstrators in massive protests that began Jan. 25 and forced Mubarak to step down Feb. 11. El-Adly served in his former post for 12 years.

News of el-Adly's arrest followed the detention earlier Thursday of former Housing Minister Ahmed Maghrabi, ex-Tourism Minister Zuheir Garana and Ezz.

All four face allegations that range from money laundering to abuse of authority and squandering state wealth.

The protesters who ousted Mubarak in 18 days of demonstrations against his regime often mentioned the deep corruption of the regime as a key reason behind their movement.

The security officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said all four of the men would also be initially held for 15 days.

Read the article