Former presidential candidate Aboul Fotouh arrested over alleged contact with the Ikhwan: Former Islamist presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh was arrested last night “over allegations that he had contacts with the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood,” the Associated Press reports. The State Security prosecutor ordered the arrest of Aboul Fotouh and at least five members of his Strong Egypt political party. Word at dispatch time was that Aboul Fotouh remained in custody to face questioning, while those detained with him had been released. The 2011-12 presidential candidate’s arrest comes days after his televised interview with Aljazeera earned the wrath of the country’s talk show hosts. Reuters also has the story.

Aboul Fotouh was a senior member of the Ikhwan until 2011, when he broke with the group to mount an independent bid for the presidency in the 2012 election. His

“Islamism-lite” platform attracted support from some liberals at the time.