United States cutting aid to Egypt? Program reviewed

CAIRO

The U.S. gives Egypt $1.3 billion annually in military aid. At this point, Washington still hasn't delivered almost half that.

An aide to Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) says the aid has already stopped -- adding this is current practice, not necessarily official policy, and there is no indication of how long it will last.

"There certainly are consequences for the actions that are taken by the interim government," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.

Last week, President Obama announced the U.S. will not participate in a military exercise with Egypt scheduled for next month, and the U.S. has delayed delivery of F-16s.

"We have serious interests in Egypt, in that part of the world. This is a very complicated problem," said Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.

Overnight, Egyptian military leaders say they detained the head of the Muslim Brotherhood, which means the majority of the Brotherhood's leaders have been captured.

Meanwhile, the bodies of 25 police officers killed in an ambush by suspected Islamic militants were taken back to a military base in Cairo.

Now there is a growing fear jailed ex-President Hosni Mubarak could soon be set free as he waits for a retrial.

Despite the latest developments, it has been relatively calm in Egypt for a second day Tuesday. The top United Nations political advisor and former U.S. diplomat for the Middle East are trying to figure out how the U.N. can help efforts to resolve the conflict.

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