Islamists accuse US of interference in Egyptian affairs

CAIRO (Reuters) - President Mohamed Mursi's Islamist allies accused the United States on Tuesday of blatant interference in Egypt's affairs after Washington said Cairo was muzzling freedom of speech.

On Monday, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland criticised the questioning of the most popular Egyptian television satirist over allegations that he insulted Mursi and Islam.

Bassem Youssef, who rose to fame with a satirical online show after the uprising that swept Hosni Mubarak from power in 2011, turned himself in on Sunday after the prosecutor general issued an arrest warrant for the comedian.

The Justice and Freedom Party, political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, condemned the comments from Nuland and said the government was committed to freedom of expression. "Nuland's statements are ... blatantly interfering in Egypt's internal affairs," a party statement said.

In Washington, Nuland said her remarks on Monday represented the views of the U.S. government and "we stand by those views as articulated here yesterday."

"Our point here yesterday was to say that rule of law needs to be applied appropriately in all circumstances," she told reporters at her daily news briefing.

"So no, we reject the notion that we were interfering."

Youssef, whose programme is now on television and has been compared to U.S. satirist Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show", is accused of insulting Islam and undermining Mursi's standing.

The prosecutor general issued the warrant after at least four legal complaints filed by supporters of Mursi, an Islamist who was freely elected in June.

In what seemed a gesture of defiance, Youssef arrived at the prosecutor general's office wearing an oversized graduation hat modelled on one donned by Mursi when he was awarded an honorary degree in Pakistan in March. He was later released on bail of 15,000 Egyptian pounds.

Nuland said on Monday Egyptian authorities seemed to be selectively prosecuting those accused of insulting the government while ignoring or playing down attacks on anti-government protesters and cases of "extreme police brutality".

The U.S. view is important in part because Washington provides $1.3 billion per year in military aid to Cairo.

Egypt has been in a state of political turmoil since the ouster of Mubarak, a long-time U.S. ally. Political uncertainty and growing street crime have deterred tourism, long an important driver of the Egyptian economy.

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Islamists accuse U.S. of interference in Egyptian affairs

CAIRO (Reuters) - President Mohamed Mursi's Islamist allies accused the United States on Tuesday of blatant interference in Egypt's affairs after Washington said Cairo was muzzling freedom of speech.

On Monday, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland criticized the questioning of the most popular Egyptian television satirist over allegations that he insulted Mursi and Islam.

Bassem Youssef, who rose to fame with a satirical online show after the uprising that swept Hosni Mubarak from power in 2011, turned himself in on Sunday after the prosecutor general issued an arrest warrant for the comedian.

The Justice and Freedom Party, political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, condemned the comments from Nuland and said the government was committed to freedom of expression. "Nuland's statements are ... blatantly interfering in Egypt's internal affairs," a party statement said.

In Washington, Nuland said her remarks on Monday represented the views of the U.S. government and "we stand by those views as articulated here yesterday."

"Our point here yesterday was to say that rule of law needs to be applied appropriately in all circumstances," she told reporters at her daily news briefing.

"So no, we reject the notion that we were interfering."

Youssef, whose program is now on television and has been compared to U.S. satirist Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show", is accused of insulting Islam and undermining Mursi's standing.

The prosecutor general issued the warrant after at least four legal complaints filed by supporters of Mursi, an Islamist who was freely elected in June.

In what seemed a gesture of defiance, Youssef arrived at the prosecutor general's office wearing an oversized graduation hat modeled on one donned by Mursi when he was awarded an honorary degree in Pakistan in March. He was later released on bail of 15,000 Egyptian pounds ($2,200).

Nuland said on Monday Egyptian authorities seemed to be selectively prosecuting those accused of insulting the government while ignoring or playing down attacks on anti-government protesters and cases of "extreme police brutality".

The U.S. view is important in part because Washington provides $1.3 billion per year in military aid to Cairo.

Egypt has been in a state of political turmoil since the ouster of Mubarak, a long-time U.S. ally. Political uncertainty and growing street crime have deterred tourism, long an important driver of the Egyptian economy.

(Reporting by Ulf Laessing; additional reporting by Paul Eckert in Washington; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Mohammad Zargham)

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Suspected Islamists raid Nigeria school, shoot teachers

KANO, Nigeria (Reuters) - Suspected Islamist gunmen on motorbikes stormed a primary school in Nigeria's main northern city of Kano on Tuesday and opened fire on teachers, wounding four of them, police said.

The attackers made teachers at Dan Maliki Primary School lie on the ground before shots rang out, a witness told Reuters.

No one claimed responsibility for the assault, but Islamist militant group Boko Haram - whose nickname means "Western education is sinful" in the northern Hausa language - has targeted schools before.

The movement has killed many hundreds in gun and bomb attacks since it launched an uprising against the government in 2009, opposing Western cultural influences and seeking to carve an Islamic state out of Africa's largest oil producer.

The gunmen attacked the head teacher and three other teachers, leaving them severely wounded, said police spokesman Magaji Musa Majiya. Boko Haram was the main suspect, he added.

None of the pupils was harmed.

"They made the teachers lie down on the ground, then there were gunshot sounds and everyone scampered to safety," said Hauwa Jinjiri, a trader working on the school premises who witnessed the attack.

The shooting came a day after a rival Islamist movement Ansaru posted a video it said showed the bodies of seven foreign construction workers it killed after abducting them from a remote northern town last month.

A purported spokesman for Boko Haram issued a statement on Tuesday denying claims by Nigerian security forces that they killed 20 Boko Haram militants when they repelled an attack on the Monguno barracks in the northeast a week before last.

The statement was delivered to local journalists via the same channel as a video showing the sect's leader Abubakar Shekau a week ago in which he rejected peace talks, suggesting it is from his faction.

"The truth is that we are the ones who triumphed in Monguno," said a written statement by a purported spokesman calling himself Abu Zinnira.

"The JTF succeeded in killing mostly innocent civilians, not our members. We lost three of our members but we succeeded in destroying their barracks and carting away their ammunition," he added.

Boko Haram had been without a spokesman since Abu Qaqa, believed to be a nickname, was killed by security forces late last year.

Militants Islamists in northern Nigeria, most prominently Boko Haram, have become the main threat to the stability of Africa's most populous country and second biggest economy.

Boko Haram normally target security forces, politicians or Christian worshippers, although it has hit schools in the past.

Arsonists suspected of being Boko Haram members burned down seven schools in northeastern Nigeria's Borno state a year ago.

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Suspected Islamists raid Nigeria school, shoot teachers

KANO, Nigeria (Reuters) - Suspected Islamist gunmen on motorbikes stormed a primary school in Nigeria's main northern city of Kano on Tuesday and opened fire on teachers, wounding four of them, police said.

The attackers made teachers at Dan Maliki Primary School lie on the ground before shots rang out, a witness told Reuters.

No one claimed responsibility for the assault, but Islamist militant group Boko Haram - whose nickname means "Western education is sinful" in the northern Hausa language - has targeted schools before.

The movement has killed many hundreds in gun and bomb attacks since it launched an uprising against the government in 2009, opposing Western cultural influences and seeking to carve an Islamic state out of Africa's largest oil producer.

The gunmen hit the headteacher and three other teachers, leaving them severely wounded, said police spokesman Magaji Musa Majiya. Boko Haram was the main suspect, he added.

None of the pupils were harmed.

"They made the teachers lie down on the ground, then there were gunshot sounds and everyone scampered to safety," said Hauwa Jinjiri, a trader working on the school premises who witnessed the attack.

The shooting came a day after a rival Islamist movement Ansaru posted a video it said showed the bodies of seven foreign construction workers it killed after abducting them from a remote northern town last month.

Militants Islamists in northern Nigeria, most prominently Boko Haram, have become the main threat to the stability of Africa's most populous country and second biggest economy.

Boko Haram normally target security forces, politicians or Christian worshippers, although it has hit schools in the past.

Arsonists suspected of being Boko Haram members burned down seven schools in northeastern Nigeria's Borno state a year ago.

(Reporting by Chukwuemeka Madu; Writing by Tim Cocks; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

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