REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, WASHINGTON - A US official said the Egyptian government was going "way too far" in the crackdown on the Brotherhood, but added that the Obama administration was not planning to take any action against Cairo in response.

The US official said that the administration of President Barack Obama was not considering, or even discussing, the possibility of the US government designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. 

Historically, the US  has placed the names of some individuals associated with the Muslim Brotherhood on US government sanctions list, but has not imposed sanctions on the movement itself. The United States decided in October to withhold some of its annual 1.3 billion USD in military aid to Egypt, pending progress towards democracy after the overthrow of Mursi, the country's first freely elected head of state.

The state news agency MENA reported that 16 of the people arrested under the terror law were accused of "promoting the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood group, distributing its leaflets, and inciting violence against the army and police". Security sources gave a country-wide total of at least 38 Brotherhood supporters arrested for belonging to a terrorist group.

From now on, anyone taking part in Brotherhood protests will be jailed for five years, Interior Ministry spokesman Hany Abdel Latif told state TV. Jail terms for those accused under the terror law stretch up to life imprisonment. "The sentence could be death for those who lead this organization," he said.

Terrorism charges will also apply to anyone who finances or promotes the group "verbally and in writing". Publication of the Brotherhood's newspaper, Freedom and Justice, was halted in response to the decision.

The state has accused the Brotherhood of turning to violence since the army toppled Mursi. Attacks on the security forces have become commonplace, with about 350 soldiers and policemen killed. The Brotherhood denies using violence, saying the army has mounted a bloody coup and killed hundreds of its supporters.

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