Egypt judiciary advises court to dissolve Muslim Brotherhood

An Egyptian judicial panel on Monday advised a court to dissolve the Muslim Brotherhood as a legally registered non-governmental organization, judicial sources said, presenting a legal challenge to the powerful group as the army-backed government conducts a crackdown on it.

The court could rule as soon as Monday in the case brought by Brotherhood opponents who are seeking the dissolution of the NGO registered by the movement in March, the sources said.

The judicial panel's recommendation is not binding.

Also Monday, 33 Brotherhood supporters were arrested in Fayoum, a city about 80 miles south of Cairo, according to reports from independent Egyptian newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm and the state-run Middle East News Agency.

Authorities told media that the detainees were in possession of large sums of cash and ammunition, and that many had been arrested for raiding police stations and violating curfews.

The Brotherhood -- the movement that backed deposed President Morsi -- was founded in 1928. It formally registered itself as an NGO in response to a lawsuit that argued it had no legal status. The Brotherhood was formally dissolved by Egypt's army rulers in 1954.

Since Morsi's ouster on July 3, authorities have waged an intensive security crackdown on members of the group. The crackdown followed a violent breakup of a sit-in held by Morsi supporters for weeks demanding his reinstatement, and hundreds died in the violence.

Al Jazeera and wire services