Former leading member of the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood, Essam El Arian, died in prison following an altercation with a fellow inmate on Thursday, reported state media Al-Ahram. Al Erian, aged 66, was supposedly engaged in a discussion with another Muslim Brotherhood member regarding the group’s future when the former suffered a heart attack resulting in his death. His death was confirmed by lawyer Abdel Moniem Abdel Maqsoud. The controversial figure, who was once a leading and key figure of the group labelled as a terrorist organization in Egypt, had been carrying out a life sentence due to various charges. Although a physician by profession, El Arian eventually became a politician, serving as vice chairman of the Freedom And Justice party and a member of the Guidance Bureau of the Muslim Brotherhood. He was serving for a third time in prison, most recently having been imprisoned in October 2013 along with nine other Islamist figures after being accused of inciting violence at the Republican Guard headquarters in 2013. Last year, Mohammed Morsi, who served as the fifth President of Egypt in 2012, before he was ousted following mass protests against his…
