Egypt's decades-old Muslim Brotherhood movement is said to be a million strong.

It consistently won elections after the 2011 Egyptian uprising.

But on Wednesday, the army-backed government escalated its campaign against the Brotherhood by formally designated it a terror group.

Cairo residents reacted to the news.

(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) EGYPTIAN MAN, ADEL MAHMOUD AHMED EL-HEFNAWY, SAYING:

"The Muslim Brotherhood have been a terrorist organization for 80 years, and for its entire existence it has survived through killing, nothing else."

The designation was in reaction to a deadly suicide bomb attack the day before that the government blames on the Brotherhood but which the Brotherhood denied.

Another group claimed responsibility for the attack.

But violence has plagued Egypt since July.

That's when the army toppled Brotherhood member Mohamed Mursi from the Presidency.

Since then, hundreds of government forces -- and hundreds more