CAIRO — A senior Muslim Brotherhood politician said the Islamist group had no intention of using violence after the army toppled Egypt's Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi, on Wednesday.

"There is absolutely no direction towards violence. The Brotherhood are not raised on violence. Their cause is a peaceful one, defending their rights, which is stronger than a military coup," Gamal Heshmat told Reuters by telephone.

A leading member of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, Heshmat said what the army had done amounted to a "shameful coup". Asked what the group would do next, he said, "We are still in the street, we still don't know if all of the armed forces will accept what Sisi has done."

General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is head of Egypt's armed forces.