The Egyptian government formerly listed the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization on Wednesday after accusing the pro-Morsi group of allegedly attacking police headquarters on Tuesday and killing 16 people, Reuters reported.
"All of Egypt ... was terrified by the ugly crime that the Muslim Brotherhood group committed by blowing up the building of the Dakahlyia security directorate," an emailed statement from the interim government's cabinet office said, Reuters reported. "The cabinet decided to declare the Muslim Brotherhood group a terrorist organization."
Wednesday's move will give Egypt authorities the right to arrest and charge and Brotherhood members and supporters belonging to a terrorist group, as well as any one who supports the group financially or promotes it "verbally, or in writing," Reuters reported.
The Brotherhood, who denounced violence decades ago, began in 1928 and has been Egypt's largest and most organized political group until a recent crackdown in the summer which killed and jailed hundreds of members, according to Reuters.
In a statement released after Tuesday's attack, the Brotherhood, with membership at almost 1 million, denied responsibility for the suicide bombings and condemned the blaming of attacks in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura on the group as a government scapegoat to further cause tension and conflict in Egypt, Reuters reported.
Egypt is one of the few Arab states that have never truly experienced this sort of civil war, according to Reuters. Iraq or Syria are more accustomed to experiencing suicide bombings against authorities or officials.
Top pro-Morsi protest and Brotherhood leaders who were jailed in the summer crackdown were charged with terrorism and plotting this past week, charges that may carry the death penalty, according to Reuters.
On Tuesday, before the government began blaming the Brotherhood for the attack, a Sinai based group named Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, or supporters of Jerusalem, claimed responsibility for Tuesday attacks, Reuters reported.
The militant group also claimed responsibility for numerous other attacks since September, including the failed attempt to assassinate Egyptian interior minister Mohamed Ibrahim, Reuters reported.
In the statement in which the group claimed they carried out the attack, they also blamed "the army-backed government for fighting Islamic legitimacy and spilling the blood of oppressed Muslims," according to Reuters.
Egypt's government released a statement declaring harsh measures would be taken against Brotherhood members and reiterated the talks scheduled for Jan. 14-15 will take place as planned, and not act of violence would deter Egypt from moving toward their "political road map," Reuters reported.
