Black Bloc trio held over al-Ghad Party fire

Egypt's Qasr el-Nil prosecutor has ordered the detention of three members of the anarchist Black Bloc group for four days, on charges of torching the headquarters of Ghad el-Thawra Party. The trio are also accused of obtaining membership of a banned group, intimidation of the public, and possession of weapons. The defendants told investigators that they had carried out the attack on Ghad el-Thawra Party headquarters in February to protest against chairman Ayman Nour's support for the ruling Muslim Brotherhood regime, describing the leader's stance as "treason" against Egyptian revolution. Egyptian security officials have confirmed that the suspects were carrying Black Bloc membership cards, firearms, and stolen goods at the time of their arrest. In last month's attack, documents, videotapes and computers were stolen from the party's head office in downtown Cairo, with witnesses confirming that the words "Black Bloc" had been written on the walls of the building.