US spy chiefs grilled over Muslim Brotherhood

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US spy chiefs grilled over Muslim Brotherhood

By Dan De Luce (AFP) – 5 hours ago

WASHINGTON — Top US intelligence officials faced tough questions from lawmakers

Wednesday over Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, acknowledging the spy agencies lack

certainty on the opposition group's views.

The intelligence chiefs struggled to answer questions about the agenda of the

Islamist movement, amid accusations the spy services were caught off-guard by

the unrest in Cairo that forced Egypt's strongman Hosni Mubarak to step down

last week.

National Intelligence Director Clapper told senators at a hearing that the

group did not speak with one voice and that he was unsure about the Muslim

Brotherhood's stance on Iran, the Egypt-Israel peace treaty and weapons

smuggling into Gaza.

" It's hard to at this point to point to a specific agenda of the Muslim

Brotherhood as a group, " he said.

A dissatisfied Dianne Feinstein, chair of the intelligence committee, said the

spy agencies needed to do better at understanding a group that could shape

events in Egypt's political vacuum.

" From an intelligence perspective, it is critical that we know what is that

position (of the Muslim Brotherhood) and what is apt to happen. Egypt is the key

country in the Middle East. And I worry about that, " she said.

Clapper said the intelligence agencies would bolster their efforts.

" This is obviously something we're going to watch. We're going to have to step

up our observation, " he said.

US intelligence agencies enjoyed close ties over three decades with the Mubarak

regime, which devoted huge efforts to tracking and suppressing the Muslim

Brotherhood.

Some critics say the CIA developed a blind spot in its reliance on Arab regimes

to counter Islamist militants, failing to closely track opposition movements and

social unrest in the Middle East.

American spies cultivated relations with their Egyptian counterparts but often

at the expense of understanding " the world of the protesters, " columnist

Ignatius wrote in The Washington Post last week.

Feinstein slammed the intelligence agencies for their work on the Mideast

turmoil, saying the services seemed to miss the importance of social media and

that the US military's Central Command had produced more useful reports.

Clapper reinforced doubts about the intelligence agencies last week when he

described the Muslim Brotherhood as " largely secular. " But at Wednesday's

hearing, he admitted he made a mistake.

" The Muslim Brotherhood is obviously not secular. What I had hoped to convey,

and would like to clearly state here, is that the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt

tries to work through a political system that has been largely secular in its

orientation, " he said.

Clapper, a veteran of the intelligence world, said the Islamist group had

diverse " factions " with " a conservative wing whose interpretation of Islam runs

counter to broad electoral participation, and a younger, more liberal wing who

are more inclined to work through a secular, political process. "

CIA Director Leon Panetta told senators the Muslim Brotherhood was not

" monolithic " but that the intelligence services were closely following the

organization, which he said included " extremist elements. "

The future role of the Muslim Brotherhood is the subject of heated discussion in

Washington, with some lawmakers warning the group harbors hardline goals.

Citing the unrest in Egypt and Tunisia, Panetta has announced a 35-member task

force that is supposed to improve the CIA's intelligence gathering on trends

that can fuel political upheaval.

The task force will focus on tracking popular sentiment, opposition groups and

the role of the Internet.

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