Security bodies have thwarted plans by the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood to carry out hostile acts against the state and its institutions, the state TV announced on Monday.

"Within the framework of efforts to maintain the security and safety of the homeland and its capabilities from being targeted, the Egyptian security bodies managed to foil plots by the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood that aimed to collect intelligence information and carry out hostile acts against the state and its institutions and the people," an official statement was quoted by the state TV.

The schemes targeted the police, the Armed Forces, judges and media professionals, political leaders and public figures, the statement said.

It added that a terrorist cell was formed upon assignments from MB leaders inside and outside Egypt to collect information on the state bodies to be sent to the leaders of the banned group outside the country and to some foreign powers.

The cell also planned to spread false news to harm the national interests, it said.

The plans included providing training to some MB members to hack pages of public figures and police and army officers and pages of a number of ministries to get information.