Egypt: Clashes erupt at pro-Morsi demonstrations
Clashes have erupted between supporters of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi, opponents and security forces in the capital, Cairo, and Alexandria.
Advertisement
The BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Cairo said there had been heavy gunfire and explosions in the city centre.
State TV reported further clashes in the northern Sharqiya district and to the east in Giza, as well as in the northern port city of Alexandria.
Hundreds have been killed since the military deposed Mr Morsi in July.
Thousands of members of the Muslim Brotherhood have also been detained in the past two months. Several senior figures, including Mr Morsi and the movement's general guide Mohammed Badie, are being held on charges such as incitement to violence and murder.
The authorities portray the crackdown as a struggle against "terrorism".
Anniversary plan
Our correspondent says the protesters in the capital's Agouza district were chanting "Rabaa, Rabaa", a reference to the square next to the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque where a sit-in was cleared by force in August.
Later, security forces fired tear gas at Morsi supporters as they tried to march towards Tahrir Square, the focus of the mass protests against Mr Morsi and his predecessor, Hosni Mubarak.
Troops also took up positions on both sides of Qasr al-Nil Bridge, which leads to the square from the Zamalek district.
Before Friday's clashes, soldiers and police had tightened security around key sites in Cairo, including Tahrir Square.
Morsi supporters say they will be intensifying their demonstrations in the lead-up to Sunday's 40th anniversary of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.
Opponents who back the army have also said they will take to the streets.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Brotherhood sharply criticised the officers behind the overthrow of Mr Morsi, comparing them to Adolf Hitler, the Roman emperor Nero and the Mongol conqueror Hulagu Khan.
It urged Egyptian soldiers to rebel and said it hoped that Sunday would mark a "victory by the people over those who staged a coup against them for personal gain".
On Thursday, the European Union's foreign policy chief, Baroness Catherine Ashton, held talks with armed forces chief Gen Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and interim President Adly Mansour, as well as with religious leaders.
"I got a real sense of everyone really trying to go forward in the right way," she told reporters afterwards.
The previous day, a 16-year-old boy was killed in clashes between Morsi supporters and opponents in the Red Sea city of Suez.
Source: BBC