Armed guards fire at pro-Morsi protesters, army denies involvement

5 Jul, 2013 13:11 / Updated 11 years ago

Troops have fired bullets into the crowd of pro-Morsi demonstrators marching on the Republican Guard Headquarters located on the edge of Cairo's Nasr City. 'At least' three have been reported dead, amid army denials.

The shooting happened as the Islamist crowd gathered on Salah Salem, marching towards the barracks where the deposed President is being held. Three have been reported dead, according to AFP, amid eyewitness accounts of several causalities.

NBC later reported that the figure stood at 4.

RT @RichardEngel: Medics tell us 4 killed from #Morsi supporters in clashes in Nasr City #Egypt. Injuries i saw appear to be from shotguns

— NBC Nightly News (@nbcnightlynews) July 5, 2013

Supporters rallying for the reinstatement of Morsi were wounded by gunfire as they approached, according to Reuters. One witness informed the agency that he saw several people taken down by shotgun pellets, suffering from injuries.

An AFP Cairo correspondent is fleeing the scene, with one BBC journalist sustaining an injury.

Leaving. Not safe at all. Sorry

— Haitham Tabei (@Haithamtabei) July 5, 2013

BBC reporter @BowenBBC hit in the head with birdshot. He's ok. pic.twitter.com/2ihAmOvpDL

— Sharif Kouddous (@sharifkouddous) July 5, 2013


As the demonstrators had approached, a small collective of men placed a poster of Morsi atop the barbed wire barrier closing off the military cordon. Protesters reportedly waved shoes at police – a traditionally insulting gesture – prior to the onslaught.

“We are receiving reports that some of the protesters fired back at Egyptian police,” said RT’s Paula Slier, based in Cairo.

Egypt's security sources are denying that any people were killed following the clashes, announcing on state radio that there have been no deaths in the barrage of bullets.

An army spokesperson said that only blank rounds and teargas were used against the protesters, according to Reuters. It is unclear whether security forces were present at the scene who did not belong to the army. A media spokesperson for the Muslim Brotherhood, Gehad El-Haddad,  said that any shootings had been at the hands of the neighboring military police.

Shootings at Republican Guards HQ was not by the guards but by neighboring Military Police. Not known if under panic or by order. #Egypt

— Gehad El-Haddad (@gelhaddad) July 5, 2013


Thousands of Morsi supporters have been gathering across several locations in Cairo in response to Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s ousting by the on Wednesday following anti-government protests.

The groups have been assembling in response to a call by the alliance of Islamist parties – which included Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood, for peaceful protests to condemn the ousting.

“There certainly is a feeling that history is repeating itself – you need to remember that it was just two years ago that the former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak was overthrown. What people here on the streets are saying is we’re witnessing another overthrow, and the point is being made is that this was a democratically elected president,” said Slier.

In Cairo, supporters took to the streets at Cairo University and Istiqama Mosque in nearby Giza Square, as well as in the Cairo district of Heliopolis, not far from the Ittihadiya presidential palace in addition to the Nasr City district action.

The capital hasn’t been the sole location of the demonstrations: Unrest swept the northern cities of Alexandia and Beheira following Friday afternoon prayers.