this is al jazeera america, live from new york city. w a look at today's top stories. leaders from south sudan are in the country right now looking for ways to stop the civil unrest, the u.n. special represent is say military reinforcements are arriving to protect civilians in the next 48 hours. a new video released by an al quaida linked group, shows an american who was abducted two years ago. on the tape, 72-year-old development worker asked president obama to intervene, and help win his freedom. the state department says it is working to verify the videos authenticity. turkey's prime minister is in the hot seat after replacing half his cabinet because of a bribery scandal, three of his ministers resigned

after their sons were arrested in connection with the investigation. ukrainian officials have arrested two people accused of savagely beating a journalist. a vehicle repeatedly running into the writer's car just after midnight wednesday. the attack came hours after she posted an article critical of the government. an ice storm had many spending christmas in the dark, the storm is also blamed for at least 27 deaths. inside story is next, and for news updates from around the world, head to aljazeera.com. as a legal and successful political party, now it ma by heading underground today, the inside story.

hello, i'm ray swarez. after a brief flirtation and political opening, egypt is again cracking down on dissent, and is the streets of egypt cities again burst into chaos, the new military led government has moved against it's most powerful adversary. we will talk about the future and the fate of the muslim brotherhood on this edition after this background. >> most recently a home made box blast add bug, wounding five people. >> while i was driving the bus, an explosion hit the bus and all bus windows were smashed and

four people were injured including one in a serious condition. on tuesday a suicide bomber hit the police headquarters killing 16 primarily police. the day after this attack, the temporary government declared it's top political a terrorist organization. saying the brotherhood is behind the latest violence. we declare the muslim brotherhood a terrorist group. the importance from the criminal law, the muslim brotherhood has denied the claim saying itdy nounsed violence decades ago, and that the military led government is trying to make it a scapegoat. the organization tweeted wednesday worthless decision from an illegal government without any

evidence and will not change anything in reality. tuesday's blast that the police compound spurs mob attacks on shops and homes nearby, tensions in egypt continue to rise, after the country's first democratically elected president leader muhammed morsy was ousted in july. morsy is now standing trial with other top muslim brotherhood leaders on charges that could lead to death sentences. this is not the first time the muslim brotherhood has been outlawed by the government. the political party was first banned in 1954, as a result it turned to establishing a large social welfare network around the country. providing educational and healthcare services to poor rural areas. it was legalized after the fall of long time dictator. the overall death toll since his oust in july of this year is estimated at

over 1500 most killed were morsy supporters including hundreds gunned down by security forces after a protest vigil was cleared. at least 350 members of the security forces have also been killed in bombings and shootings since this summer. for the latest we are joined by peter who joins us from cairo. welcome to the program, has there been any reaction from the muslim brierhood beyond that tweet? from the brotherhood on air talking about or rejecting the statement, remember, that the brotherhood has never accepted the military government, they have all the described it as a coupe, and they have also insisted that all of the statements are illegitimate. they have said that they will continue to oppose

the government, using peaceful means in their words. but i think what they say is they are not terrorists, they insist this is an act by an illegitimate ors. >> does the designation by the government of the brotherhood as a terrorist organization, represent an escalation beyond simply efforts in past decades to mar januaryalize them, or minimize their effect on national politics? >> we have seen the interior ministry going on air today, saying that anybody who is protesting in the streets anyone who is advocating in favor of the muslim brotherhood, anyone who is passing out pamphlets belonging to the brotherhood, will be imprisoned for five years. they have also gone on to

say that the muslim brotherhood leaders anyone whoens finances them, or provides information could spend life behind bars. so it is a very very serious shift. we have already seen 23 people arrested because they were handing out pamphlets on behalf of the brotherhood. this is not just a rhetorical shift, this is a very serious clamp down, assets on their affiliated groups and anyone who supports them. >> affiliated groups. so this could throw a pretty wide net on what's now the egyptian opposition? >> absolutely. it is hard to know how that will be cast. we know the muslim brotherhood newspaper has been closed down. the freedom and justice parties political reign is going to be closed down.

we know they are literally thousand -- more than 1,000 charities are thatry filluated with the brotherhood who have been working inside the poorist areas. we were out there talking to one of the groups saying they have virtually underground. even a plot of the people who are normally receiving their support have said no, we don't want to get your charity, because we don't want to be closely linked with you, even though we need your support. with it's charity work, or political, whether it's publicity work, all of that has stopped all together or been driven under ground. a lot of the commentators say this is really only likely to increase not over support, but also covert activity by the brotherhood with the help

of their supporters. joining us from cairo, thank you, stay safe. we will take a short break, when we come back, we will look fourth entire the muslim brotherhood, you are watching inside story, stay with us. here is more. >> beneath the fluorescentsun in a former meat packing plant is the latest trim in farming. they call it "vertical farming."

these fields grow on floors on at industrial park and farmer john adel and his staff agrees user. >> my shipping proceed did you say 1500, 2,000 miles to get are. >> the plant of the indoor -- as the indoor formers call it doesn't grow corn or soybeans but mustard, high end micro greens on the plates of white-napkin restaurants. these fish supply the vert liser that number issues the

for both egypt and then region are from santa barbara california, professor of middle east and studies at the university of oklahoma. from dallas, professor of law at texas a&m university. she is a member of the egyptian american rule of law association. and from newton massachusets. is this the beginning of the end in a political force? >> it could be the beginning of the end of

them as an open organization. it will just push them under ground. they are an indigenous group within egypt, and they have a pretty strong constituency in the elections of the par limit. i think what is highly problematic and troubling for particularly the poor of egypt, is that the penal code or article 86 makes it a crime to promote the brotherhood in writing verbally or any other way. so you will have individuals that may not be muslim brotherhood members, but who anything they say or any type of personal association they have may cause them to be caught in this. basic food and medicine and healthcare. >> professor does this

change whatever comes about in the near future in terms of elections? if this temporary government is going to go back to the people, with one of its main opponents now out of the game, how does egypt recover? >> well, egypt doesn't recover, and that's the problem here. it hasn't worked in the past. it didn't work in the 90's, and it isn't going to produce political stability, let alone political success. so for those reasons alone, it is wrong, not to mention the fact that the brotherhood is no a terrorist organization. they might not be a liberal political party, but they are not a terrorist organization. that being said, there's no question that some islamists probably some members of the

brotherhood have been radicalized, as has been the case in other places and could resort to violence. so this is not a rosy picture by any means. >> this has been compared to previous times in history, when the brotherhood has been suppressed by various egyptian governments, but isn't there a difference this time? by declaring it a terrorist organization, wrath err than one that is not allowed to participate. it has been banned for decades and they have thrived underground, they are very good as thriving underground, and that's where they are headed again now. at while they were banned they were tolerated and

they have had members of parliament people would know this person is from the brotherhood, now you can't do that. and as an organization, it is being -- it means anyone who is affiliated with them the faces the death penalty, but individuals will continue to believe in their ideology, will continue to act. so professor, you have all noted that has been pushed underground in the past, look for ways to operate outside of the oversite of the established government in cairo. what happens now? this isn't just a small

portion of society, this is a pretty big chunk of society that put a muslim brotherhood government in office, in cairo, and now proposing to run egypt going forward without them. >> i think one serious concern who is going to fill the void. it is a highly devout country, and many people believe as polls have shown that religion is a fundamental part of their every day life. so there will always be a party, even if it doesn't officially declare itself a religious party, but lit be running based on values that are islamic in nature. similar to christian evaljell calls. now that they have been pushed underground, who will take their place, and the concern is that it will likely be other farther right groups who

will be embolteddenned and supported by those in the gulf, the governments in the gulf who are now providing billions of dollars to the egyptian government to subsidized the economy. i think that many are going to miss the brotherhood. because egyptians are not -- their values are not as far right as many the political parties are. and so i think the concern is that many egyptian whose are supporting the crack down on the brotherhood who are buying into this fear based narrative that the brotherhood is terrorist without absolutely no questions asked are going to realize that they are producing a much worse scenario in the future, in as far as civil rights and human rights and women's rights are concerned. what the professor suggests is possible?

>> they are seen as a retch ran dumb on the legitimacy of the government, and then preparing for what is being billed as a free and open election within a few months and we have seen not just the crack down on the brotherhood, but really a crack down on any dissent. one of the major things that happened a week ago, was three of the secular youth, i cons of the january 25th revolution who are also supportive of the military overthrow of morsy in june, have gotten frustrated with the civil rights limitations and with the new anti-demonstration law, and so they took part in the

demonstrations and they have now been given three year prison sentences. so this send as strong signal that any opposition or criticism will not be abided and that means that even if you have something that on the face of it looks like a free -- election you are not going to have a real multiparty presence there. even as the military is cracking down, now instead of the police, neighborhood gangs for want of a better term patrol the streets of many neighborhoods in urban egypt, you have a break down of authority, a break down in the judiciary, even as they are cracking down and tightening up, is egypt becoming ungovernable? >> sovereignly one of the organizations is a

terrorist organization, we have seen that from the moment that the coupe began, so this is a logical outgrowth of that is that the ices lambists generally, the brotherhood as well as other islamists groups can play the role of a spoiler, and that's what has been happening. they are excluded from the process, and more radical group whose supported or were sympathetic are the receiving the brunt of the crack down, and as a result they are causing havoc. the attack on the police head guarders can led to 15 deaths the violence, and what that means is that egypt then cannot be stable enough, it cannot attract investments. the economy cannot grow there isn't a sense of stability as my

colleagues have said in some senses that's impossible. because if you exclude 15, 20, whatever percentage of popularity the brotherhood holds if you exclude them to begin with, and if you are left with 70, 50, 60, who knows. that is not an inclusive political process. there are signs that the regime is trying to not only exclude the brotherhood, but exclude other elements in society youth and so on. to try to secure support. >> professor, thank you all for joining me.

>> a brief break now, and when we come back,ly be joined by a spokesperson this is inside story, stay with us.

joining me now from london is mow hamed sudan, the foreign relations secretary and spokes person for the muslim brotherhood, mr. sudan welcome to the program. what does the muslim brotherhood intend to do now that the military backed government has made this declaration that your movement is aterrorrist organization? >> when someone stole the

bauer from the real presidents and the government, and he is saying that those people are thieves or those people are terrorists. then it is something coming from illegitimate groups. is then not only the egyptian people would not recognize this, but also the community will not approve these and accept these kind of fake rules or laws but whatever under -- it is something coming when anyone wants to make a declaration, like this should go with the international organize like a new end or like -- but it is not like just a mouse getting this and let us -- let's

go with the how they did it. from six months ago they try to promote the street. just to make them violence, or commit violence, but it could not do this. even a lot of massacres -- >> sir, let me jump in there. >> yes. >> because you have noted that this government came to power without the legitimacy given by the election. >> yes. >> and they expedded a government from power, and that's true, but in a way that's past history. once they make it illegal to be a member of your organization, and now you risk five years in prison, haven't they set the bar very high, where only the most faithful members will dare to become an active part of your movement? >> the egyptian already

broke the wall of fear. they never care with this, nothing, they are still in the street. nothing has killed them. they get the declaration, no, no one will care of this. the egyptian people, i understand as well that those people are in the power now in egypt, are legitimate even their government is legitimate, those people are thieves, they stole egypt, they stole the legitimacy of egypt.

they store the power, they kidnapped the legitimate president. and also the legitimate governor. >> but sir, they have the honor and the weapons and the means to control the streets to continue to suppress the muslim brierhood what is the next response. >> accused to have the army, to send the muslim brotherhood for 30 years behind bars but he never scared us. and we work again, as positions for 30 years we were -- going to the parliaments and we have a lot of parliamentarians. through phone operators terms and the council, the uhm err parliament, and they never scare us. movement baric established like five mar usual codes.

through his era, this never scares us, and we keep going, we will keep resisting this kind of bloody coupe. we are working together among the people that are anti-coupe. that's very very big presentation from the egyptian people. again, this kind of bloody coupe. >> i don't think that they accept this besides the international community, and the muslim brotherhood not only in egypt, we are more than 80 countries in the world. thank you for for joining us. >> the west or whatever. >> that brings us to the eend of this edition, thank you for being with us, in washington i'm ray swarez.

>> jose antonio elena rodriguez was 16 when he was killed with a bullet through the head by the united states border patrol. nine more shots went into body, as he lay on the ground in his hometown, nogales mexico. the bullets fired from the top of this cliff in arizona traveled through an international boundary, and into a legal vacuum. the agent has never been named.