Associated Press
Egypt military detains hundreds following violence
May 5, 2012
Sarah El Deeb
CAIRO --
Egypt's military officials moved swiftly Saturday to prosecute
protesters they blamed for an attack on the Defense Ministry, in an
attempt to put down increasingly violent protests against their
authority just weeks before the country's presidential election.
The
fierce street battles Friday raised to new heights the tension between
the generals, who assumed power after President Hosni Mubarak stepped
down last year, and their critics, predominantly secular and liberal
groups but now spearheaded by hard-line Islamists.
At least a hundred protesters have been killed in violent confrontations with security agencies since Mubarak's ouster.
But
the military's response to Friday's demonstration near its headquarters
was significant in how swiftly protesters were detained.
Military
prosecutors interrogated hundreds of demonstrators, referring some 300
of them to 15 days detention pending investigation into accusations of
attacking troops and disrupting public order, a prosecution official
said Saturday.
At least two detainees face accusations of killing a soldier in the Friday violence, the official said.
Increasing tension
Political
tension between the ruling generals and different groups in Egypt has
been building during an election run-up marred by legal pitfalls, a lack
of clarity in the authorities of the next president and a growing fear among activists that the military is seeking to back a candidate it can trust to preserve its economic interests and a special political role in the future.
Secular forces have accused the generals of seeking to cling to power; but Islamists have only recently joined the chorus.
After
issuing warnings against approaching the defense ministry, the military
was quick to react when protesters tried to break through the barbed
wire. Police forces used water canons, tear gas and live ammunition to
break up the crowd. Hundreds were detained in a security crackdown as
the protesters dispersed.
Tensions started to brew a week ago.
Protesters, predominantly supporters of an ultraconservative
presidential candidate who was barred from the election, held a sit-in
outside the ministry starting April 28.
Deadly clashes broke out when apparent supporters of the military rulers attacked the crowd Wednesday.
Nine people were killed in those clashes, which drew in anti-military protesters from different revolutionary groups.
They called for a rally Friday, demanding the generals stick to their pledges to step down after the election.
ISLAMISTS MORE VOCAL
As
Islamists increasingly feel they are losing out in the jockeying for
power, some of them have become louder in their criticism of the
military generals. Two prominent Islamist presidential candidates were
disqualified from the race on technical grounds.
The
ultraconservative candidate was disqualified because his mother held
dual Egyptian-American nationality, a violation of the law.
The
powerful Muslim Brotherhood's candidate was disqualified because of a
previous political conviction under Mubarak's rule, also a violation.
The
group, which won nearly 50 percent of the seats in parliament, is
fielding another candidate, but it has been frustrated with translating
its parliamentary success into political power.
*
Photo courtesy of AP
