( CNN ) -- An Egyptian court Monday ordered a ban on activities of the Muslim Brotherhood and froze its finances , according to state-run news website EgyNews . The move is the latest in an anti-Muslim Brotherhood crackdown that began when the military ousted President Mohamed Morsy , who was backed by the Brotherhood , in early July . The country 's Ministry of Social Solidarity said earlier this month that it was considering punishing the group , accusing it of violating a law regulating non-governmental groups , EgyNews reported . The law prohibits such groups from operating as political organizations and forming militias . The Brotherhood has a political wing , the Freedom and Justice Party , and the current government has accused the Brotherhood of inciting violence . A U.S. State Department spokeswoman , in response to a question at a briefing in Washington , said the department is looking for more information about the court 's ruling . `` A transparent and inclusive political process that preserves the rights of all Egyptians to participate and leads back to a civilian-led government is critical to the success of Egypt 's political and economic future , '' said Jen Psaki . She added that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy had discussed the matter when they met Sunday in New York . Opinion : Why the Muslim Brotherhood ca n't back down . Egypt has been in turmoil since Morsy 's ouster , with the military and Morsy opponents battling Muslim Brotherhood members and others . In August , hundreds of people -- citizens as well as members of security forces -- were killed . Many of the deaths occurred when the military used force to clear two pro-Morsy sit-in sites in Cairo . Violence raged after pro-Morsy supporters staged demonstrations a few days later . Read more : What is the Muslim Brotherhood ? The Brotherhood was underground during the regime of President Hosni Mubarak , who had banned the group . But after Mubarak 's ouster in 2011 , the group 's Freedom and Justice Party got into gear and fielded parliamentary candidates . The Freedom and Justice Party won about half the seats up for election in December 2011 , and its presidential candidate , Morsy , won in 2012 . Egyptian security forces lately have rounded up high-profile members of the group . Last week , they arrested a Muslim Brotherhood spokesman , Gehad El-Haddad , who was a frequent guest on Western media . He was arrested at an apartment in a Cairo suburb , Egypt 's state-run newspaper Al-Ahram reported . He was accused of inciting violence and murder . El-Haddad was active on social media , notifying supporters of rallies . Egyptian police official killed in clashes on outskirts of Cairo .
Government : The Muslim Brotherhood was violating the law . Egypt 's been in turmoil since the military ousted Brotherhood-backed President Morsy . The Brotherhood was banned under Hosni Mubarak 's regime . But it went official on the political scene after Mubarak 's 2011 ouster .