Egypt Clashes Cut Off Access to U.S. Embassy
Egypt Clashes Cut Off Access to U.S. Embassy
The U.S. Embassy in Cairo closed Thursday after clashes between opposition protesters and riot police cut off access to the building, CBS News’ Alex Ortiz reports from Egypt.
The clashes have been ongoing as Egypt’s Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi, refuses to back down in a showdown over decrees granting him near-absolute powers.
The protesters don’t seem to be targeting the embassy itself, Ortiz reports. Instead, they’re targeting the riot police and the clashes are happening in the area and in the approaches to and from the embassy. Most embassy staff have gone home, and the embassy closed for all American citizen services.
Activists warn that Morsi’s actions threaten a “second revolution,” but he faces a different situation than his ousted predecessor, Hosni Mubarak: He was democratically elected and enjoys the support of the nation’s most powerful political movement.
CBS News correspondent Holly Williams reported on “CBS This Morning” Thursday from Cairo that Morsi is expected to address the nation later in the day to explain why he granted himself the new powers.