Army denies using live rounds to disperse Tahrir protesters
Two men died from bullet wounds in central Cairo after the army tried to disperse protesters overnight, two medical sources said on Saturday, although the army denied firing any live rounds.
The sources at a Cairo hospital said the two were among 18 who were injured by shots.
State television said one person was killed and 71 were wounded in acts of rioting, without giving details.
It was not clear if there were any other armed people in the square when the shots were fired.
The sound of gunshots rang out across the area around Tahrir Square in Cairo overnight. Protesters said the army had fired shots in the air. It was not clear if there were other armed people in the square when the shots were fired.
An army spokesman denied the report to Reuters, saying the army fired blanks, not live rounds to warn protesters. The army had said in an earlier statement that it had "confronted acts of rioting and implemented a curfew" without loss of life.
"Elements from the interior ministry along with some noble citizens confronted the riotous actions and enforced the curfew without any losses," the armed forces statement carried by the official MENA news agency.
Military police moved in after tens of thousands, who rallied on Friday to demand the prosecution of ousted president Hosni Mubarak and other leading figures from his regime, were joined by dissident army officers.
Breaking out crowds
But after the curfew, set from 2 am to 5 am, military police and state security officers surrounded the square, fired shots in the air, used tasers and batons and arrested protesters to break up the crowd, a witness told Reuters by telephone.
A separate statement posted on the military's Facebook page blamed "remnants" of the formerly ruling National Democratic Party for the demonstration and said it had ordered the arrest of four party members it accused of "thuggery" during the sit-in.
The military has enjoyed broad support since it took control of the country on Feb. 11, but complaints against its rule are growing. Attention is now focused on the perceived tardiness of legal measures against Mubarak and his entourage.
Mubarak and his family have been living in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh since he left Cairo. The military has said the 82-year-old president, himself a former military officer, is banned from leaving the country.
"The corrupt perpetrators must be held accountable for what they have done, that is why we are here," Fahmy said.
Tahrir Square in the heart of Cairo was the focal point of 18 straight days of mass protests that brought down Mubarak's regime after three decades in power, leaving the army led by Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi in charge.
0 Comments