Egyptian military opens fire on pro-Morsy demonstrators; 20 killed
updated 2:13 AM EDT, Mon July 8, 2013
Cairo (CNN) -- The Egyptian military opened fired on supporters of the deposed president, Mohamed Morsy, and the Muslim Brotherhood, early Monday, killing 20 people and wounding more than 300 others, said Mohammed Zanaty, a doctor at a makeshift field hospital.
CNN counted at least eight bullet-riddled bodies and up to 40 wounded at the chaotic emergency facility in the Egyptian capital, down the street from the site of the shooting. The upper bodies of the victims appeared to be peppered with shotgun pellets and bullet wounds.
Doctors tended to the victims, performing surgeries in many cases before shipping them out to other facilities.
The crowd had been holding vigil outside Republican Guards headquarters, where Morsy was reportedly detained after his arrest Wednesday.
Around the time of morning prayers, witnesses said the military and police opened fire with machine guns and tear gas.
There was no official word on the incident from authorities.
Stepping up security
The developments came as protesters took to the streets again, where, for weeks, arguments have turned to clashes.
Ahead of Monday's events, more than 30 people had died and 1,400 had suffered injuries since Wednesday's coup.
Egypt's military said in a statement over the weekend that it was stepping up security efforts for the demonstrations.
"We also warn against any provocation or clashes with the peaceful demonstrators," the statement said. "Anyone who violates these instructions will be dealt with firmly in accordance with the law."
Supporters vow peaceful protests
Meanwhile, the Muslim Brotherhood's political party vowed that protests would be peaceful and accused authorities of planning to send fake bearded men into Cairo's Tahrir Square to incite violence.
"This is so they can claim that the supporters of the elected-president and the Islamic groups are attacking the peaceful demonstrators. ... We warn those who play with fire that any sectarian incitement at this critical time will not be in the interests of anyone in our beloved Egypt," the Freedom and Justice Party said in a statement posted on its Facebook page.
Human Rights Watch called for the country's military and political leaders to do more to stop the bloodshed.
"All sides need to tell their followers to refrain from actions likely to lead to violence and loss of life," Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. "At the same time, the security forces need to show that they can act professionally and effectively to stop the violence without resorting to unlawful lethal force."
Politics in the midst of chaos
The latest violence comes only hours after state television reported that Egypt's interim president has nominated Mohamed ElBaradei to serve as vice president and Ziad Bahaa el Din as prime minister.
Interim President Adly Mansour will need to get political consensus before they are appointed.
Presidential spokesman Ahmed Almoslemani stressed on state-run Nile TV there is no specific deadline of when the new government will be announced.
Nile TV had previously reported that he said an announcement would be made within 24 hours.
Earlier, ElBaradei's name had been floated for the office of prime minister, but a swearing-in announced for Saturday didn't happen.
Activist group Tamarod spokesman Mahmoud Badr told Egypt's OTV on Sunday that the presidency had tapped ElBaradei to form the new government but then retracted the offer after objections from the conservative al-Nour party.
ElBaradei is known around the world as the former head of the U.N. atomic watchdog agency, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
He was to appear Sunday in an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria but canceled it along with all other media interviews, his office said.
Violence erupts in Sinai
In the lawless desert of the Sinai, where al Qaeda affiliates have long had a foothold, violent attacks erupted after Morsy's removal.
On Sunday, armed men blew up a pipeline transporting natural gas to Jordan, an ally of Israel and the United States, said a senior Egyptian intelligence officer, who asked not to be named.
Such attacks had ceased when Morsy was president. Before that, armed groups destroyed pipelines every few months, he said.
State-run EgyNews reported Sunday that three police officers in northern Sinai were shot and wounded while on duty when someone in an unmarked car fired shots at them and sped away.
It is unclear whether the attacks were a reaction to events in Cairo.
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