Al Jazeera English Journalists Arrested In Egypt

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The pan-Arab broadcaster Al-Jazeera said Monday that six of its journalists have been detained in Egypt after authorities ordered the closure of the network's Cairo office.

The Qatar-based network said the journalists are part of its English-language channel, a sister operation to the flagship Arabic service.

The detentions come a day after Egyptian authorities shut Al-Jazeera's office, complaining its round-the-clock coverage was slanted toward protesters and could encourage more unrest.

The station denounced the closure as an attempt to muzzle open reporting. It has managed to continue coverage in Egypt with fixed-position cameras and reports by phone.

Earlier, Al-Jazeera called for help from Egyptians to send blog entries, eyewitness accounts and videos to expand coverage of the uprising against President Hosni Mubarak.

UPDATE: Al Jazeera reports that the journalists have been released, but their camera equipment is still being held by the military.