Egypt moves closer to Al-Jazeera TV affiliate ban

Egypt's interim government called an Al-Jazeera local affiliate that broadcasts in Arabic a national threat, moving closer to banning its broadcasts beamed from Qatar after the affiliate aired recordings of declarations by fugitive leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Qatar-based television network said four journalists working for its English service were arrested in Cairo. Three government ministers issued a statement saying that Al-Jazeera Mubashir Misr is operating "illegally, in violation to the profession's standards and without a permit to work in Egypt." The ministers also said the channel used satellite transmission without a license and spread "rumors and claims which are harmful to Egyptian national security and threaten the country's unity," without referring specifically to the broadcasts of the fugitives' declarations.