By
Maggie Michael
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Egyptian security forces fire tear gas
to disperse supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi as they protest at
Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 27, 2013. Armored vehicles
closed main squares and city centers in Cairo and other major cities after
Morsi's group, the Muslim Brotherhood, and its allies announced now protests in
defiance of the interim government's latest move labeling the group as a
terrorist organization. (AP Photo/Mohamed Hassan) | ASSOCIATED PRESS
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CAIRO
(AP) — Egyptian security forces fired tear gas and clashed with hundreds of
supporters of Mohammed Morsi around the country Friday and arrested more than
100, including women, as authorities tightened security measures in the capital
after the ousted president's Muslim Brotherhood and its allies renewed calls
for mass rallies.
Riot
police chased student protesters chanting against the military and the police
at the Islamic Al-Azhar University. Footage on private TV networks showed
demonstrators hurling stones and setting fire on tree branches to defuse tear
gas smoke.
The
night before, one person was killed when similar clashes broke near the
dormitory of the same university. Anti-Morsi civilians also joined the fray in
the eastern district of Cairo, fighting against the protesters, according to
Egypt's official news agency.
Clashes
also erupted Friday in several other districts of the capital. Al-Jazeera
Mubashir Misr TV showed footage of police vehicle on fire in a highway linking
Cairo with Giza.
Armored
vehicles closed main squares and city centers in Cairo and other major cities
after Morsi's group, the Muslim Brotherhood, and its allies announced new
protests in defiance of the interim government's latest move labeling the group
as a terrorist organization. The announcement was meant to further cripple the
group ahead of a key vote on draft constitution on Jan. 14 and Jan. 15 seen by
the interim government as a milestone in the transition plan.
The
Interior Ministry official said in a statement that more than 147 protesters
were arrested in different provinces, including 28 women.
At
least one person killed in southern city of Minya, according to the governor
Salah Ziyada who was speaking to Egyptian CBC TV network.
Since
Morsi was ousted in a military coup on July 3 after millions demonstrated
demanding his removal, the Muslim Brotherhood and its allies have held constant
protests demanding his reinstatement and denouncing the interim government
installed by the military in his place.
But their rallies have sharply
decreased in numbers because of a heavy-handed crackdown on the group that put
thousands in detention and killed hundreds during the violent disbanding of two
protest camps in August.
Fridays
traditionally witness the largest turnouts of protesters. This Friday poses a
test to the Brotherhood's willingness and ability to continue going
head-to-head against the interim government, as well as a new tactic to crack
down on protests.
After the government on Wednesday declared the Brotherhood a terrorist organization,
a security spokesman said any participants in Brotherhood rallies will be
sentenced to five years in prison, and group leaders could be sentenced to
death according to anti-terrorism laws.
The
terror label came after a suicide bombing Tuesday in a Nile Delta city that
killed 16 and wounded 100, mostly policemen. A second blast took place on
Thursday in Cairo, hitting a bus and injuring passengers but leaving no major
causalities.
The
government accused the Brotherhood of being behind the bombing, as well as
stepped-up attacks by Islamic militants since Morsi's ouster, a claim the group
denies. An al-Qaida-inspired group, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, or the Champions of
Jerusalem, claimed responsibility for Tuesday's suicide attack and vowed more.
The
government has provided no strong evidence that links the Brotherhood to
militant groups. But during Morsi's year in power, he allied with radical
groups and sent envoys to militant leaders for a truce in the volatile Sinai
region in return for halting military offensive.
After
Morsi's ouster, the military launched a major offensive in Sinai against
suspected militants, sweeping through hideouts in villages located near the
borders with the Gaza Strip and Israel.
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