Police arrest eight accused of masterminding anti-gov’t plot: Police arrested yesterday eight individuals for allegedly conspiring with the Ikhwan on a plot to bring down the government on the anniversary of 30 June, the Interior Ministry said in a statement broadcast on national television (watch, runtime: 2:02). The ministry also said it has targeted 19 companies allegedly being run by Ikhwan leaders and supporters for providing financial support to the outlawed group and the anti-government plot.

Who got caught in the dragnet? The detainees include economist and Multiples Group Chairman Omar El Shenety, former politician and revolutionary figure Zyad Elelaimy, and journalists Hossam Monis and Hisham Fouad, the Associated Press reports. The ministry also accused former presidential candidate Ayman Nour, who has been living in self-imposed exile in Turkey, of allegedly being involved in the plot.

The story is gaining steam in the foreign press, with Reuters, Bloomberg, the Financial Times and the National among those taking note. Amnesty International also came out with a statement condemning the “arbitrary” arrests as being carried out “under the guise of counterterrorism.” Human Rights Watch meanwhile took the opportunity to publish a letter sent to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo by a bipartisan group of academics asking him to support an international inquiry into Egypt’s prison system.