Army Deployed After Clashes in Cairo
Army Deployed After Clashes in Cairo
The Egyptian army deployed tanks outside the presidential palace in the Heliopolis suburb of Cairo on Thursday after overnight clashes between supporters of Mohamed Morsi, the Islamist president, and his opponents.
At least three people were killed and some 275 injured in the violence, which started when Mr Morsi’s supporters, from his Muslim Brotherhood group, arrived to dismantle a peaceful protest camp set up outside the palace walls. Fighting, mainly with stones and firebombs but also with bullets, extended to many streets in the area as reinforcements from both sides poured in.
The violence in Cairo, which prompted three of Mr Morsi’s advisers to resign, was triggered by Mr Morsi’s push to expand his powers and rush through a draft constitution.
Earlier on Wednesday, supporters of Mr Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood chanted slogans and waved their fists in the air as they attacked and dismantled the opposition tent city. As night fell, rival groups converged on the site, before exploding in street clashes broadcast live on Egyptian television.