Egypt's banned Muslim Brotherhood has vowed to continue staging protests despite hundreds of its supporters being detained in a police crackdown.

The Brotherhood - which has been banned since 1954 - told reporters during a packed press conference on Sunday that it would keep staging protests to push for political reform from Hosni Mubarak's 24-year-old presidency. 

Arrest claims

Egypt's largest Islamic group says police have detained more than 2000 of its supporters during nationwide protests held on Wednesday and Friday.

Police said they had arrested ‘only’ 750, including four leading members, and had ordered 617 detained for an additional 15 days without charge for further investigations.

The frequency of anti-government protests has increased since December, and the Brotherhood - after long avoiding confrontation with the government -has since March joined more secular reform movements demanding reform.

PHOTO CAPTION

Essam el-Erian, a leader of the Islamic Brotherhood is taken to prison after being sentenced by a military court in Cairo, Egypt, in this Thursday, Nov. 23, 1995 file photo. (AP)