Kerry says well-organized Muslim Brotherhood 'stole' Egyptian revolution

WASHINGTON – Secretary of State John Kerry is accusing Egypt's well-organized Muslim Brotherhood of having "stolen" the revolution that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

Speaking on Wednesday to leaders of multinational U.S. firms, Kerry said the Islamist group had appropriated the revolt against Mubarak from young people who started it in large part through social media. Kerry said their use of web-based technology "drove that revolution."

But then, he said, it "got stolen by the one single-most organized entity in the state, which was the Brotherhood."

Kerry's comments are likely to raise eyebrows in Egypt where there are competing claims of credit over Mubarak's ouster.

U.S. officials have in the past lamented that secular Mubarak foes were unable to mount a credible political option to the Brotherhood.