Two protesters were shot dead with live ammunition in Alexandria on Friday as security forces dispersed a fresh round of pro-Morsi protests, while three policemen were injured in Cairo’s Helwan district when protesters allegedly opened fire on their positions.
The dead, 18 year-old Gomaa Abdallah and 21 year-old Hossam Magdi, were shot in the chest and abdomen respectively.
In Helwan, two police captains and a conscript were injured when protesters allegedly “opened fire” towards the officers, according to a Ministry of Interior statement. The ministry said security forces were able to disperse the protesters, as “security agencies continue their efforts in determining the character and the perpetrators caught and the weapons used”.
Various reports surfaced indicating that the dispersal in Helwan was a fairly violent one. Photojournalist Amru Salahuddien said that four protesters were killed in Helwan, although some news agencies put the number as high as eight.
Independent counts could not be verified, and the interior ministry did not mention protesters in its Helwan statement.
The Ministry of Interior noted that 42 “Muslim Brotherhood terrorist elements” were arrested nationwide, with 27 in Alexandria, 7 in Cairo, 6 in Giza, and 2 in Fayoum.
According to the statement, a number of protesters were caught with Molotov cocktails, knives, and a number of weapons.
Clashes between security forces and supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi have become common on Fridays, as protesters congregate after Friday prayers.
Consistent pro-Morsi demonstrations have been ongoing since the former president’s 3-July ouster. The Anti-Coup Alliance, the most prominent pro-Morsi opposition bloc, refuses to acknowledge the legitimacy of Egypt’s interim authorities.
On Thursday, the Muslim Brotherhood announced that their request to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate “serious allegations of international crimes” cannot continue because the ICC does not have jurisdiction over Egypt.
“A communication seeking to accept the jurisdiction of the ICC over Egypt has been dismissed as not presented on behalf of the concerned State,” the ICC said in a statement.
The Brotherhood statement said “the complaint sent to the ICC contained strong evidence of serious criminal acts perpetrated by the military regime responsible for the coup d’état which resulted in death of over 2000 protestors and the detention of 20,000 people including [former] President Morsi” and promised to appeal the ICC’s decision.
