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| More than 130 Morsi supporters killed in Egypt clashes | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| At least 136 supporters of Egypt's ousted president, Mohamed Morsi, have been shot dead by security officials in what is the worst state-led massacre in the country since the fall of Hosni Mubarak, according to figures released by Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood. | |
| The Egyptian health ministry said that it had counted only 20 dead so far – though their figures are only based on bodies delivered to state institutions. Reporters at the scene counted at least 36 corpses in a single room. | |
| The massacre took place in the small hours of Saturday morning, at a sit-in at Rabaa al-Adawiya, east Cairo, where tens of thousands of pro-Morsi supporters have camped since Morsi was deposed on 3 July. | |
| Brotherhood spokesman Gehad El-Haddad said the shooting started shortly before pre-dawn morning prayers on the fringes of a round-the-clock vigil being staged by backers of Morsi, who was toppled by the army more than three weeks ago. | |
| "They are not shooting to wound, they are shooting to kill," Haddad said, adding that the death toll might be much higher. | "They are not shooting to wound, they are shooting to kill," Haddad said, adding that the death toll might be much higher. |
| Al Jazeera's Egypt television station reported that 120 had been killed and some 4,500 injured in the early morning violence near Cairo's Rabaa al-Adawia mosque. | Al Jazeera's Egypt television station reported that 120 had been killed and some 4,500 injured in the early morning violence near Cairo's Rabaa al-Adawia mosque. |
| Reporters at the scene said firing could still be heard hours after the troubles started. | Reporters at the scene said firing could still be heard hours after the troubles started. |
| "I have been trying to make the youth withdraw for five hours. I can't. They are saying they have paid with their blood and they do not want to retreat," said Saad el-Hosseini, a senior Brotherhood politician. | "I have been trying to make the youth withdraw for five hours. I can't. They are saying they have paid with their blood and they do not want to retreat," said Saad el-Hosseini, a senior Brotherhood politician. |
| "It is a first attempt to clear Rabaa al-Adawia," he said. | "It is a first attempt to clear Rabaa al-Adawia," he said. |
| There was no immediate comment from state authorities on what had happened. | There was no immediate comment from state authorities on what had happened. |
| The clashes started after police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of Morsi supporters who tried to extend the sit-in in eastern Cairo. | The clashes started after police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of Morsi supporters who tried to extend the sit-in in eastern Cairo. |
| Al Jazeera showed medics desperately trying to revive casualties arriving at a field hospital set up near the mosque. | Al Jazeera showed medics desperately trying to revive casualties arriving at a field hospital set up near the mosque. |
| El-Haddad said police started firing repeated rounds of tear-gas at protesters on a road close to the mosque sometime after 3am local time (2am BST). Shortly afterwards, live rounds started flying, hitting people at close range. | El-Haddad said police started firing repeated rounds of tear-gas at protesters on a road close to the mosque sometime after 3am local time (2am BST). Shortly afterwards, live rounds started flying, hitting people at close range. |
| The deaths come just two weeks after military and police officers massacred 51 Morsi supporters at a nearby protest in east Cairo. | |
| They also happened less than 24 hours after hundreds of thousands of anti-Morsi protesters gathered in Egyptian streets to give General Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, the army chief who ousted Morsi, their assent to crackdown on what he had on Wednesday called "terrorism". | |
| Sceptics say this is a euphemism for a violent campaign on largely peaceful Morsi supporters, who have held sit-ins and marches across several Egyptian cities since Morsi was overthrown – including at Rabaa al-Adawiya. For weeks, most Egyptian media have depicted pro-Morsi supporters as terrorists. | |
| "It doesn't make sense for a defence minister to ask people to give him authority to fight terrorism," said Abdallah Hatem, a 19-year-old student from Cairo, on Friday. | |
| "So his speech was a pretext for something else – a pretext to fight peaceful protesters who want Morsi to come back." | |
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