The World : Egypt Jails 1,500 Militants

In a nationwide crackdown on extremist agitation, Egyptian security authorities have reportedly arrested about 1,500 alleged Muslim militants in the last two weeks. The arrests followed an April 7 clash between Muslim zealots and police in the town of Fayoum, southwest of Cairo, that left eight people wounded, officials said. Maj. Gen. Zaki Badr, Cairo’s interior minister, said he has ordered a probe to determine whether there was foreign involvement in a recent wave of anti-government activity. Badr, whose remarks were carried by the Middle East News Agency, did not elaborate. Muslim militants have been campaigning for years for an Egyptian society based on Islamic law.