An Egyptian teenager was killed in clashes between supporters of the
ousted Islamist president and security forces Friday, a security
official said, raising to two the total number of deaths during two days
of violent protests on the anniversary of Mohammad Morsi's ouster.
The street clashes culminated a week of violence including several
small bombings in the capital of Cairo and other cities, although
Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood and its loyalists failed to draw massive
crowds onto the streets after a crackdown against Islamists that has
left hundreds dead and at least 22,000 jailed, including most of the
group's senior leaders.
Police closed off Tahrir Square, which has served as the epicenter of
protests since a mass uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni
Mubarak in 2011, and other plazas for several hours on Friday to prevent
massive gatherings. But still dozens of pro-Morsi demonstrators
gathered in Cairo and other cities.
The 15-year-old boy was killed by birdshot pellets during a
demonstration in Cairo's Zeitoun district, the security official said,
speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to
release the information. It was not immediately clear whether the boy
was a protester or a passer-by.
Another protester was seriously wounded by live ammunition during a
march elsewhere in the capital, the official said. A health ministry
official, Mohammed Sultan, said 12 people also were injured.
In one demonstration in Cairo's twin city of Giza, unrest started after
a funeral service held in a mosque for a demonstrator who was killed in
clashes on Thursday, witnesses said. Mourners began chanting as they
filed out of the mosque to march in protest in the Haram district of
Cairo's twin city of Giza, but they were dispersed by police firing tear
gas.
The protesters than tried to regroup elsewhere and blocked a road, before security forces again moved against them.
Egyptian security officials also said they had foiled several bombing attempts in recent days.
A bomb accidentally exploded on a farm southwest of the Egyptian
capital, causing the building to collapse and killing four suspected
militants who were handling it, including a wanted member of the Muslim
Brotherhood, security and health officials said.
Health ministry official in Fayoum, Medhat Shoukry, said three people were instantly killed while the fourth died in hospital.
Interior Ministry spokesman, Hani Abdel-Latif, confirmed the deaths and
said the farm in the oasis town of Fayoum belonged to Ahmed Arafa, a
member of the Muslim Brotherhood who is wanted for violent events that
followed Morsi's ouster.
Members of the Muslim Brotherhood, which wielded great influence under
Morsi's yearlong rule after years in opposition during the Mubarak era,
have faced allegations of fomenting violence and been banned and
declared a terrorist organization.
The Interior Ministry spokesman also said police had confiscated 39
other explosive devices ready to use and other bomb-making equipment.
The government has blamed Morsi's group and its Islamist allies for the
string of attacks that hit the country after his ouster, but it has
offered sparse evidence other than confessions to support the claim.
Islamic militants have claimed responsibility for some attacks,
particularly in the Sinai Peninsula. But the Brotherhood has
consistently denied involvement in violence, saying it sticks to
peaceful protests.