CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian security officials say a prominent activist and blogger known for criticizing the government has been detained, the latest in a new wave of arrests since elections earlier this year.

The officials say Wael Abbas was taken from his home in a Cairo suburb on Wednesday on accusations that include disseminating false news and joining an outlawed group. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media.

Egypt has arrested a number of secular activists since President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi won re-election in March in a vote in which he faced no serious challengers.

The latest arrests come amid a wider crackdown on dissent in which thousands of people have been jailed, unauthorized protests have been banned and hundreds of websites have been blocked.