Monday, April 11, 2011

The Egyptian army denied that soldiers fired on protesters

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces of Egypt denied that members of the army fired on demonstrators in Tahrir Square in the riot this morning, in which two people died and 71 were injured. In a news conference, Gen. Ismail Etman, a member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, said Army members who were in Tahrir when the incidents occurred were not armed.

The reasons for these confrontations are confusing, since some protesters denounced a direct attack on the soldiers, the military leadership led by Egypt accused some groups of inciting riots and violating curfew. The general also announced that they have arrested and are questioning 42 people who were in Tahrir during the curfew.

These people are accused of taking orders from a well-known personality whose name will be announced later, according Etman. Military leaders had previously ordered the arrest of businessman Ibrahim Kamel, a member of the former NDP government, and three of his associates on charges of "abetting criminal activities in the demonstration yesterday Tahrir." Moreover, Supreme Council member of the armed forces dismissed speculation that Prime Minister Egyptian Esam Sharaf, could have resigned.

He announced that a meeting between military leaders and the Council of Ministers which reviewed all current issues. Thousands of people took from early morning the square in defiance of the Armed Forces in order to continue with their claims that the Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and other former leaders are tried.

Despite the violent events, many Egyptians do not hesitate to congregate in Tahrir to claim also the formation of a civil presidential council to run the country until elections. "We will stay here until the revolution demands are met and Mubarak trial. We do not want it happen again last night," he told Efe in the central plaza young Abdelatif Husam, who also participated in the demonstration on the eve called "Friday the purge." Tahrir presented an image that recalled the beginning of the revolution of January 25, with access cut with barbed wire, broken pavement and burned several vehicles, which showed the violence of the clashes.

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