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Account of attack on the Brotherhood's HQ
The ransacking of the Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters was reminiscent of the sacking of Hosni Mubarak's political headquarters during Egypt's 2011 uprising, writes Patrick Kingsley in Cairo
Around 50 anti-Brotherhood spent the night attacking the compound with petrol bombs causing a series of small fires and explosions.
With police nowhere to be seen, Brotherhood cadres returned fire, killing at least four of the besiegers, and injuring at least 80 – according to medics at the scene.
"It's a great feeling. I've wanted to do this for three years," said Ahmed Yassin, a student from Alexandria, holding the prized office name-tag of Mohamed el-Badie, the Brotherhood's leader.
"Their offices are being trashed all over Egypt – but this was the most important, because they are running the country from this office," he said.
Opponents of the Brotherhood detest the organisation because it is perceived to unduly influenced by Morsi, a Brotherhood associate, and because it seeks to impose too narrow a vision of Islam on Egyptian society.
Both sides told the Guardian that the other had started the battle, which began at around 7pm on Sunday. It was impossible to verify either claim.
At roughly 7am, after 12 hours of fighting, Brotherhood reinforcements arrived – possibly, bystanders said, because one of the fires had grown too big, and those inside now feared being smoked out.
The reinforcements covered their colleagues' exit with live fire – later seen being plucked from the wall by the Guardian. Bystanders said that some Brotherhood members were injured and handed to the authorities during the blaze.
Once the other Brothers had fled, protesters stormed the compounded, and accelerated the blaze. Firefighters said they arrived at 9am – too late to save the building, which is now charred and still filled with smoke. Once the worst of the fire was put out, hundreds reentered the building, looting and destroying its remaining features. The Guardian saw men and women taking away air-conditioning units, safes, sinks, and filing cabinets – as well as the copper nametags of Khairat al-Shater, the Brotherhood's most powerful figure, and Mohamed el-Badie, its nominal leader.
Inside, there was chaos, with black smoke still billowing through the upper rooms, and looters fighting over the spoils. Outside, a crowd of 200 chanted "the people demand the fall of the regime" indicative of the view that the Brotherhood has seized control of most of the state.
Account of attack on the Brotherhood's HQ
The ransacking of the Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters was reminiscent of the sacking of Hosni Mubarak's political headquarters during Egypt's 2011 uprising, writes Patrick Kingsley in Cairo
Around 50 anti-Brotherhood spent the night attacking the compound with petrol bombs causing a series of small fires and explosions.
With police nowhere to be seen, Brotherhood cadres returned fire, killing at least four of the besiegers, and injuring at least 80 – according to medics at the scene.
"It's a great feeling. I've wanted to do this for three years," said Ahmed Yassin, a student from Alexandria, holding the prized office name-tag of Mohamed el-Badie, the Brotherhood's leader.
"Their offices are being trashed all over Egypt – but this was the most important, because they are running the country from this office," he said.
Opponents of the Brotherhood detest the organisation because it is perceived to unduly influenced by Morsi, a Brotherhood associate, and because it seeks to impose too narrow a vision of Islam on Egyptian society.
Both sides told the Guardian that the other had started the battle, which began at around 7pm on Sunday. It was impossible to verify either claim.
At roughly 7am, after 12 hours of fighting, Brotherhood reinforcements arrived – possibly, bystanders said, because one of the fires had grown too big, and those inside now feared being smoked out.
The reinforcements covered their colleagues' exit with live fire – later seen being plucked from the wall by the Guardian. Bystanders said that some Brotherhood members were injured and handed to the authorities during the blaze.
Once the other Brothers had fled, protesters stormed the compounded, and accelerated the blaze. Firefighters said they arrived at 9am – too late to save the building, which is now charred and still filled with smoke. Once the worst of the fire was put out, hundreds reentered the building, looting and destroying its remaining features. The Guardian saw men and women taking away air-conditioning units, safes, sinks, and filing cabinets – as well as the copper nametags of Khairat al-Shater, the Brotherhood's most powerful figure, and Mohamed el-Badie, its nominal leader.
Inside, there was chaos, with black smoke still billowing through the upper rooms, and looters fighting over the spoils. Outside, a crowd of 200 chanted "the people demand the fall of the regime" indicative of the view that the Brotherhood has seized control of most of the state.
