Deposed President Mohamed Morsy was put under preventive custody early Thursday at a building inside the Ministry of Defense after being isolated from his presidential team, DPA reported, quoting Muslim Brotherhood spokesperson Gehad al-Haddad.
All presidential staff were arrested as part of a 300-person list of targets, Haddad revealed, adding that military squads had besieged thousands of Morsy’s supporters in Nasr City in Cairo, preventing entry or exit from the area.
Haddad described the measures as a “revenge” sought by elements of the former Mubarak regime. He added that inviting opposition leaders such a Mohamed ElBaradei to the announcement of Morsy’s removal aims to give cover to a campaign that seeks to protect the old regime from Egypt's new democracy.
Defence Minister General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced Wednesday Supreme Constitutional Court chief, Adly Mansour, as new interim president and suspended the country’s constitution in response to massive protests demanding Morsy step down.
Several leaders of the Brotherhood, to which Morsy belongs, were reportedly banned from travel following the announcement.
In an amateur video posted online after Sisi's statement on Wednesday, Morsi declared: "I am the elected president of Egypt," urging people to "defend this legitimacy," AFP reported.
Already in the week leading up to Morsi's downfall, at least 50 people died in clashes between the Islamist's supporters and opponents, the agency added.
