Egypt: Islamists launch violent protests demanding "revenge"

Violent clashes on August 22 between Muslim Brotherhood (MB) supporters and security forces left two people dead, while dozens of others were arrested.

In a statement, the Egyptian Interior Ministry said 35 people in possession of petrol bombs and ammunition were arrested in the provinces of Qalyuiba, Giza, Beheira, Asyut and Minya on charges of having links to the Muslim Brotherhood - the movement of ousted President Mohamed Morsi that was listed as a "terrorist organization" by the Egyptian government in late December.

Protesters clash with police during a demonstration in Cairo. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

These protests took place after noon prayers in Cairo and eight other provinces across the country following a call for "revenge" by the National Alliance to Support Legitimacy (NASL) - a force led by the MB that brings together 34 political parties and Islamic movements supporting Mr. Morsi.

Local media said two women were killed in fierce clashes in the eastern Cairo district of Ain Shams, an Islamist stronghold that has seen bloody clashes since last summer's coup. Meanwhile, security forces defused a homemade bomb in the southern Cairo district of Helwan.

In Garbia province in the Nile Delta, some protesters waved the flags of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group and chanted slogans against the army and police. In the city of 6/10 in Giza province, Islamist protesters blocked traffic before being dispersed by police.

Meanwhile, in Alexandria, Egypt's second largest city on the Mediterranean coast, Islamists held at least five protests in inner-city districts, demanding "restoration of constitutionality" and against "military rule."

Since last summer’s coup, the Egyptian government has intensified its crackdown on Morsi’s supporters. More than 1,400 Islamists have been killed in street clashes with police. In addition, some 16,000 Morsi and Brotherhood supporters have been arrested, with more than 1,200 sentenced to death. Some civil society organizations put the number of arrests at 42,000.

Meanwhile, according to official statistics released last March, at least 500 soldiers and police were killed in attacks by Islamic gunmen./.

According to VNA