Clashes erupted in Cairo on Wednesday morning between assailants and mostly Islamist protesters gathered outside the Defense Ministry, leaving nine people dead and nearly 50 wounded, security officials said.
Protesters have been camped in the city’s Abbasiya district for days, demanding an end to military rule. Most of the protesters are supporters of Salafi presidential candidate Hazem Abu Ismail, who was barred from the race because his mother held dual Egyptian-US citizenship.
This is the latest instance of violence in the capital in more than a year of turmoil in Egypt following the ouster of longtime authoritarian ruler Hosni Mubarak and will likely fuel more tensions just three weeks ahead of presidential elections.
The military generals who took over from Mubarak in February last year have promised to hand over power to a civilian administration by July 1 but that has not stopped rallies demanding the generals leave immediately.
I am sitting down on the road with other people where our martyrs died. And we won’t move. #Abbasiya #MOD
— Ahmad H. Aggour (@Psypherize) May 2, 2012
This man was shot in the eye. Below tweet says: #Abasseya a picture of a Boukrtoh injured in clashes in the eye now Abbasid – Photography @ Tahrirawi (via Google Translate)
#MOD #Abasseya صورة لأحد المصابين بخرطوش في العين في اشتباكات العباسية الآن – تصوير @Tahrirawi twitter.com/AlMasryAlYoum_…
— المصري اليوم (@AlMasryAlYoum_A) May 2, 2012
Tweeps bursted on Twitter to make people aware of the Abbasiya massacre.
Burst ur twitter bubble.Nobody knows abt the Abbasiya massacre n every1 is heading to his/her work peacefully.ppl are dying with no purpose
— Dina Nasser (@DinaNasser) May 2, 2012
We are putting rocks around the blood trails for people to see. #MOD #Abbasiya
— Ahmad H. Aggour (@Psypherize) May 2, 2012
Rocks have been put on the floor around all the spilled blood. #MOD – #Abbasiya #Egypt. twitter.com/NMSyria/status…
— NMSyria (@NMSyria) May 2, 2012
it is officially a massacre #MOD
— Zeinobia (@Zeinobia) May 2, 2012
This is a picture of wounded man being carried out of Ministry of Defense in the Egyptian capital.
Wounded and bloodied being carried out #MOD twitter.com/sharifkouddous…
— Sharif Kouddous (@sharifkouddous) May 2, 2012
According to below tweet clashes broke out shortly before midnight local time, tweet translates as “#MOD #Abbaseya URGENT: fierce clashes in the Abbasid after thugs attacked dozens of demonstrators…”
#MOD #Abbaseya عاجل: اشتباكات عنيفة في العباسية بعد هجوم عشرات البلطجية على المعتصمين بالخرطوش والمولوتوف
— المصري اليوم (@AlMasryAlYoum_A) May 1, 2012
Urgent Parliamentary meeting was called of political parties and SCAF general to discuss the Abbasiya massacre.
In a few hours, members of political parties+ Parliament will be meeting with #SCAF Generals to discuss #Abbasiya clashes.
— Menna منّة(@TheMiinz) May 2, 2012
As per the official sources put together the number of deaths was nine:
No idea how many died tonight, but I saw four people get shot. #MOD
— Ahmad H. Aggour (@Psypherize) May 2, 2012
