WASHINGTON: The United States said Monday it was concerned by attacks on protesters who stormed Egyptian state security buildings at the weekend trying to retrieve files kept on the population.
"We are aware of the violence being used against protesters in recent days, including the protests around various security services buildings," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters.
"And we are concerned and continue to encourage everyone involved to refrain from violence," Crowley said.
He said he did not know if the United States raised the issue in conversations with the military authorities who have been running Egypt since president Hosni Mubarak was toppled Feb. 11 after mass public protests.
On Saturday, state security buildings around the country were stormed by protesters trying to retrieve files kept on the population by the powerful apparatus that monitors political dissent and reports to the interior ministry.
On Sunday, armed civilians attacked hundreds of protesters outside the state security headquarters in Cairo, as the army fired warning shots and used sticks to disperse the crowd, witnesses said.
A senior judiciary official said Monday that 47 police officers suspected of having destroyed documents in offices of Egypt’s state security services have been remanded into custody.
