CAIRO - Egyptian police raided 17 local and foreign groups' offices in the capital Cairo on Thursday over suspected illicit funding activities, Egyptian official news agency MENA reported.

The state prosecutor's office said in a statement that judges named by the justice ministry have issued an order to inspect those offices, and all the investigation plans are based on strong evidence that the 17 non-governmental organizations (NGO) are involved in the activities that violate the Egyptian law, according to the report.

The statement said the NGOs have not obtained permits from the Egyptian authorities to open branches in Egypt. Documents, publications and equipment in the offices of the NGOs were seized during the raid.

The investigation is still under way.