Muslim Brotherhood – in pictures

Hassan al-Banna founded the Muslim Brotherhood in the city of Ismailia in 1929. He was assassinated in February 1949 and his organisation was outlawed in 1954
Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

A crowd gathers by the Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters in Cairo after setting it on fire in retaliation for an assassination attempt on Gamal Abdel Nasser, then prime minister, in October 1954 Photograph: AP

Abdel Kader Oda, a leading member of the Brotherhood, is led to the execution chamber of Cairo prison in December 1954 after being convicted along with seven others of plotting to assassinate Nasser Photograph: Bettmann/Corbis

Sayyed Qutb was an important theoretician of the Muslim Brotherhood. He was later executed in 1966 Photograph: AFP

Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood hold up copies of the Qur'an during a pro-Iraqi demonstration in January 1991, ahead of the Gulf war Photograph: Barry Iverson/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images

From the left: Mukhtar Nouh, Khaled Badawi, Mohammed Badi and Mohammed Ali Beshr talk during their trial in a Cairo military court in November 2000. The court sentenced 15 members of the Muslim Brotherhood to prison for their activities Photograph: Anonymous/AP

Muslim Brotherhood supporters surround a vehicle of the ruling National Democratic party's supporters in Alexandria, accusing them of voter fraud in 2005 Photograph: Cris Bouroncle/AFP/Getty Images

Police surround Muslim Brotherhood protesters outside al-Fateh mosque in Cairo in the runup to presidential elections in 2005 Photograph: Amr Nabil/AP

Supporters of the Egyptian government (background) clash with their Brotherhood counterparts in Zagazig in December 2005. Two people died and hundreds were injured after police fired teargas and rubber bullets at crowds trying to break through blockades of polling stations during parliamentary elections Photograph: Amr Nabil/AP

Muslim Brotherhood deputies, wearing black sashes reading 'No to Emergency' in Arabic, voice their objection to state of emergency being renewed in April 2006 Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

University students from the Muslim Brotherhood protest against their exclusion from student elections in Cairo in October 2008 Photograph: Amr Dalsh/Reuters

Plainclothes police officers (left) clash with protesters during a demonstration organised by the Muslim Brotherhood in protest against the Gaza war in January 2009 Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

A man walks past a poster in Cairo by a group known as Youth Against Violence. The poster calls on voters not to choose Muslim Brotherhood candidates in parliamentary elections in November 2009 Photograph: Amr Dalsh/Reuters

Muslim Brotherhood senior members Essam el-Erian, centre right, and Saad el-Katatni, centre left, take part in a protest in Cairo on 30 January 2011 Photograph: Mohammed Abu Zaid/AP

Former MP Mohamed el-Balatagy, of the banned Muslim Brotherhood opposition group, at a demonstration in Cairo on 4 February 2011 Photograph: Andre Liohn/EPA