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Egyptian Security Forces Storm Pro-Morsi Sit-Ins Bloody Crackdown on Protests in Egypt
(about 3 hours later)
CAIRO — Egyptian security forces moved on Wednesday to clear two camps in Cairo occupied by supporters of the ousted president, Mohamed Morsi, deploying armored vehicles, bulldozers, tear gas, snipers and helicopters in a sustained and bloody operation that seemed to surprise some protesters with its ferocity, and left dozens dead. The Egyptian government declared a one-month state of emergency, state TV reported. CAIRO — Egyptian security forces killed scores of protesters and wounded hundreds of others on Wednesday in a daylong assault on two sit-ins by Islamist supporters of the ousted president, Mohamed Morsi, that set off waves of violence in the capital, Cairo, and across the country.
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itemprop="articleBody" class="caption">Clips from Nile TV show the scene at Nahda Square in Cairo. Dozens were reportedly killed as security forces stormed the area occupied by supporters of the ousted president, Mohamed Morsi.

By afternoon, the interim government appointed by Gen. Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi had declared a state of emergency, suspending the right to a trial or due process and returning Egypt to the state of virtual martial law that was in place for three decades under President Hosni Mubarak, who was forced out of office in 2011.
After a six-week standoff with the demonstrators, the scale and brutality of the attack — with armored vehicles, bulldozers, tear gas, snipers, live ammunition and birdshot — appeared to extinguish any hope of a political reconciliation that might persuade Mr. Morsi’s supporters to participate in a renewed democratic process under the auspices of the military-appointed government. Instead, it was the clearest sign yet that the old Egyptian police state was re-emerging in full force, defying the protests of some liberals in the civilian cabinet, the threats of diplomatic ostracism from the West, and the risk of provoking a prolonged violent backlash by Islamists angry over the theft of their democratic victories.
By late afternoon, Egyptian state media put the number killed at about 95, including two policemen, although the large number of dead and critically injured Egyptians whom reporters for The New York Times saw moving through various makeshift field hospitals suggested that the final death toll would climb much higher.
Witnesses spoke of gunfire from shotguns and automatic rifles as white clouds of tear gas offset plumes of black smoke from burning tires in violence that deepened an already profound gulf in Egyptian society. Protesters arrived at field hospitals with gunshot wounds to the neck and chest. At one location, soldiers were seen firing on a lone protester lobbing rocks from a rooftop. Many people were arrested, including leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, news reports said.
The Muslim Brotherhood called the operation a “massacre” and put the number of dead in the hundreds, a figure that was not immediately borne out by accounts from reporters visiting morgues. But the toll nonetheless seemed to climb rapidly.
At one makeshift morgue run by Morsi supporters, the number of dead rose to 12 from 3 in a matter of minutes. The violence potentially made Wednesday’s killings the most deadly of three mass shootings since the overthrow of Mr. Morsi in early July.
Sky News said one of its veteran cameramen, Mick Deane, was killed. The circumstances were not clear. Mohamed el-Beltagy, a prominent member of the Muslim Brotherhood, said his 17-year-old daughter was also among the dead.
Hours after the operation began, the authorities said they had cleared the smaller of two encampments, at Nahda Square near Cairo University. Protesters at the larger camp, around the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque in the northeastern suburb of Nasr City, remained defiant but seemed to be under siege by vastly superior forces seeking to uproot them.
Pro-Morsi demonstrators from outside the larger camp, meanwhile, clashed with the police on its approaches, braving waves of tear gas to barricade streets. Some protesters prepared gasoline bombs and broke paving stones to hurl at their adversaries as the confrontation unfolded.
The clashes illuminated the deepening fissures in Egypt between an Islamist movement sustained by the Muslim Brotherhood in support of Mr. Morsi and secular forces who cast the military as protectors. The operation also threatened to reinforce regional tensions with Turkey, whose Islamist-backed government opposed the overthrow of Mr. Morsi. The “armed intervention on civilians, on people demonstrating” is “completely unacceptable,” President Abdullah Gul told reporters in Ankara, the Turkish capital.
The British foreign secretary, William Hague, condemned the government’s use of force in clearing the Morsi supporters and called on it to act with restraint.The British foreign secretary, William Hague, condemned the government’s use of force in clearing the Morsi supporters and called on it to act with restraint.
“I am deeply concerned at the escalating violence and unrest in Egypt, and regret the loss of life on all sides,” he said in a statement. “The U.K. has been closely involved in intensive diplomatic efforts directed at reaching a peaceful resolution to the standoff. I am disappointed that compromise has not been possible.”“I am deeply concerned at the escalating violence and unrest in Egypt, and regret the loss of life on all sides,” he said in a statement. “The U.K. has been closely involved in intensive diplomatic efforts directed at reaching a peaceful resolution to the standoff. I am disappointed that compromise has not been possible.”
News agencies reported clashes between civilian supporters and foes of Mr. Morsi in other parts of Cairo. An Egyptian human rights group, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, said the crackdown had spurred counterattacks by Muslim Brotherhood supporters against Coptic Christian churches in Minya and Sohag, south of Cairo, apparently reflecting a perception among Islamists that the Coptic minority had supported the military’s action in ousting Mr. Morsi.News agencies reported clashes between civilian supporters and foes of Mr. Morsi in other parts of Cairo. An Egyptian human rights group, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, said the crackdown had spurred counterattacks by Muslim Brotherhood supporters against Coptic Christian churches in Minya and Sohag, south of Cairo, apparently reflecting a perception among Islamists that the Coptic minority had supported the military’s action in ousting Mr. Morsi.
As demonstrations spread to other cities on Wednesday, television footage from the Mediterranean city of Alexandria and Aswan in the south showed thousands of Morsi supporters taking to the streets to protest the military action in Cairo. The authorities were reported to have suspended rail services into and out of Cairo to prevent pro-Morsi demonstrators from regrouping or summoning reinforcements. As demonstrations spread to other cities on Wednesday, television footage from Alexandria on the Mediterranean and from Aswan in the south showed thousands of Morsi supporters taking to the streets to protest the military action in Cairo. The authorities were reported to have suspended rail services into and out of Cairo to prevent pro-Morsi demonstrators from regrouping or summoning reinforcements.
The coordinated action against the Morsi supporters, which had been expected for days, began around 7 a.m. local time. The protesters are seeking the reinstatement of Mr. Morsi, who became Egypt’s first democratically elected president in 2012 and was deposed by the military six weeks ago. In removing Mr. Morsi, the military also suspended the Constitution and installed an interim government presided over by a senior jurist.The coordinated action against the Morsi supporters, which had been expected for days, began around 7 a.m. local time. The protesters are seeking the reinstatement of Mr. Morsi, who became Egypt’s first democratically elected president in 2012 and was deposed by the military six weeks ago. In removing Mr. Morsi, the military also suspended the Constitution and installed an interim government presided over by a senior jurist.
A statement from the interim government praised the security forces for showing what it called restraint and blaming leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood for inciting violence. “The government holds these leaders fully responsible for any spilled blood, and for all the rioting and violence going on,” the statement said.A statement from the interim government praised the security forces for showing what it called restraint and blaming leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood for inciting violence. “The government holds these leaders fully responsible for any spilled blood, and for all the rioting and violence going on,” the statement said.
The interim authorities also pledged to pursue a military-based political blueprint for the country’s future in “a way that strives not to exclude any party from participation.”The interim authorities also pledged to pursue a military-based political blueprint for the country’s future in “a way that strives not to exclude any party from participation.”
But, in a further sign of the rift between faith and political power, Al Azhar, the pre-eminent Muslim religious authority, said it had no advance knowledge that the authorities would use aggressive means to disperse the protesters. A statement cited by Agence France-Presse called on all sides to “exercise self-restraint and take into account the interests of the nation” and said, “The use of violence has never been an alternative to a political solution.”But, in a further sign of the rift between faith and political power, Al Azhar, the pre-eminent Muslim religious authority, said it had no advance knowledge that the authorities would use aggressive means to disperse the protesters. A statement cited by Agence France-Presse called on all sides to “exercise self-restraint and take into account the interests of the nation” and said, “The use of violence has never been an alternative to a political solution.”
The statement followed hours of clashes after army bulldozers moved in to dismantle the defenses set up by protesters.The statement followed hours of clashes after army bulldozers moved in to dismantle the defenses set up by protesters.
Images on Al Jazeera television showed a car ablaze and protesters being treated for bloody injuries. Protesters’ tents appeared to have been razed, and a pillar of black smoke rose above palm trees in one of the areas. The footage showed what appeared to be a gunman firing from a rooftop, but the shooter’s identity was not immediately clear.Images on Al Jazeera television showed a car ablaze and protesters being treated for bloody injuries. Protesters’ tents appeared to have been razed, and a pillar of black smoke rose above palm trees in one of the areas. The footage showed what appeared to be a gunman firing from a rooftop, but the shooter’s identity was not immediately clear.
At Nahda Square, black-uniformed police officers wearing gas masks and helmets dragged and carried away protesters, the footage showed. At least one of the protesters showed no sign of life as his limp body was loaded into an ambulance. The police seemed to be rounding up protesters in groups as they fled the barrages of tear gas. The footage also showed smoke from burning tires.At Nahda Square, black-uniformed police officers wearing gas masks and helmets dragged and carried away protesters, the footage showed. At least one of the protesters showed no sign of life as his limp body was loaded into an ambulance. The police seemed to be rounding up protesters in groups as they fled the barrages of tear gas. The footage also showed smoke from burning tires.
State television broadcast images of what it said was a protester firing on security forces with an assault rifle.State television broadcast images of what it said was a protester firing on security forces with an assault rifle.
An Associated Press television video journalist at the Nasr City camp said he heard women screaming as a cloud of white smoke hung over the site.An Associated Press television video journalist at the Nasr City camp said he heard women screaming as a cloud of white smoke hung over the site.
Mohamed Soltan, a representative of protesters there, told Al Jazeera that a cameraman working with the protesters had been shot and killed by a sniper while filming on a stage. There was no official confirmation of the shooting.Mohamed Soltan, a representative of protesters there, told Al Jazeera that a cameraman working with the protesters had been shot and killed by a sniper while filming on a stage. There was no official confirmation of the shooting.
The camp in Nasr City was always likely to present the authorities with a greater challenge. Tens of thousands of people have built a well-equipped community there with electricity, Internet access, a hospital, communal kitchens, latrines and showers.The camp in Nasr City was always likely to present the authorities with a greater challenge. Tens of thousands of people have built a well-equipped community there with electricity, Internet access, a hospital, communal kitchens, latrines and showers.
While dozens of people have been killed by the police and the military since the sit-ins began, analysts said, the crackdowns on the protesters seemed to have reinforced their conviction to stay. Though dozens of people have been killed by the police and the military since the sit-ins began, analysts said, the crackdowns on the protesters seemed to have reinforced their conviction to stay.
Mr. Morsi is being held at an undisclosed location. The military authorities have taken steps toward his criminal prosecution on charges relating to his activities during the revolution that ousted his predecessor, Hosni Mubarak.Mr. Morsi is being held at an undisclosed location. The military authorities have taken steps toward his criminal prosecution on charges relating to his activities during the revolution that ousted his predecessor, Hosni Mubarak.
While Egyptians broadly consider Mr. Mubarak’s autocracy to have been fundamentally illegitimate, Mr. Morsi is now under investigation for his own escape from political imprisonment and his work in the Islamist political opposition that helped to topple Mr. Mubarak in 2011.While Egyptians broadly consider Mr. Mubarak’s autocracy to have been fundamentally illegitimate, Mr. Morsi is now under investigation for his own escape from political imprisonment and his work in the Islamist political opposition that helped to topple Mr. Mubarak in 2011.

David D. Kirkpatrick reported from Cairo, and Alan Cowell from London. Kareem Fahim contributed reporting from Cairo.

David D. Kirkpatrick reported from Cairo, and Alan Cowell from London. Kareem Fahim contributed reporting from Cairo.