Sixteen people died on 30 June and 781 were injured according to the Ministry of Health. Though there were no clashes in the major protest venues of Cairo's Tahrir Square, Al-Ittihadiya palace and Rabaa Al-Adawiya, the Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters in Muqattam was the site of violent scenes, as were a number of provincial towns. Health Minister Mohamed Mustafa reported on Monday that there had been nine deaths in Cairo, eight outside the Muslim Brotherhood's (MB) besieged offices in Muqattam and one close to Al-Ittihadiya presidential palace. He added that 182 protesters were still receiving hospital treatment, the vast majority of injuries caused by birdshot. Mohamed Hamed, a Muqattam resident who witnessed the clashes at the Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters, said protests began peacefully. “At 7pm on Sunday dozens of young people gathered in front of the MB headquarters and began to chant against the Muslim Brotherhood and the president,” he told Al-Ahram Weekly. “After a couple of hours the number of protesters grew. They began to throw rocks and Molotov cocktails towards the Brotherhood building.” People inside the building, says Hamed, responded by throwing rocks and glass bottles at the gathering crowd. There were no police present. The situation quickly escalated, and the building was soon completely surrounded. “A microbus stopped metres away from the gathering crowd. Those inside emerged and started firing live bullets, resulting in a number of casualties. They cleared a path to the entry of the building. Those inside rushed out to the microbus and then fled.” The remaining crowds then entered the building and ransacked it early on Monday following overnight clashes. Cairo's prosecution started investigating the incident on Monday, sending a team to inspect the site. One Brotherhood member, caught by the crowds after failing to escape, was handed over to the prosecution. According to eyewitnesses, the arrested MB member was shooting at the crowds from the roof of the MB building. Al-Ahram said on Tuesday that the arrested MB member, who allegedly was a sniper shooting at the crowds from above the MB headquarters, was identified as Mustafa Abdel-Azzim, accused of killing eight and injuring 70 more people. “MB youths totalling 230 were guarding the MB building from inside,” Abdel-Azzim said in his testimony in the prosecution's investigation, according to Al-Ahram. The defendant also admitted they were ordered to deal with the gathering crowds outside the headquarters from the windows of the building. In addition, Abdel-Azzim said, the MB officials ran electricity through the walls of the building to prevent crowds from storming the headquarters. However, the MB members who were inside were forced to leave the building after they ran out of ammunition. Days before the scheduled demonstrations the Ministry of Interior and Police Officers' Club had announced that they would not be stationed before any political party offices. The move, they claimed, would underline that security forces were adopting a neutral stance. In a statement issued more than a week ago the Police Club board stated: “We will not protect political premises or party headquarters. Our role is to secure vital installations and facilities, police stations and prisons.” Offices of the MB's political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), were set alight in several governorates on 30 June. On Monday Mohamed Al-Beltagui, a leading member of the FJP, criticised the Ministry of Interior for failing to protect the Brotherhood's headquarters and accused political forces and human rights organisations of remaining silent in the face of “these blatant crimes”. “After the burning of Muslim Brotherhood headquarters in several provinces, today [Monday] saw an attack on its main office by thugs with all kinds of bombs, Molotov cocktails, rifles and guns, amid almost total silence by political forces and human rights organisations, and amid complete police inability or unwillingness to prevent these attacks,” said Al-Beltagui. The Brotherhood's website accused Tamarod members of leading a group of thugs who stormed its headquarters and looted electrical appliances, chairs, cushions and everything portable, “including all papers and documents”. “The police failed to appear despite repeated calls and appeals by employees trapped in the building throughout the night although it is the police's duty to protect public and private property from such violence and vandalism,” says Muslim Brotherhood media spokesman Ahmed Arif. Opposition groups have distanced themselves from the attack, stressing the peaceful nature of the protests. The National Salvation Front released a statement on Monday condemning the violence at the headquarters. The opposition alliance condemned President Morsi, holding him fully responsible for the acts of violence that took place across the country on Sunday. Moreover, the statement demanded that the authorities reveal the identity of those responsible for inciting violence and immediately hold them accountable. Clashes between opponents and supporters of the current regime in Beni Sweif, Alexandria, Kafr Al-Sheikh and Fayoum ended in the death of one person each and a total of 457 injured across the governorates according to Health Ministry figures. Three died in Assiut and 15 were injured. Abanoub Adel, Mohamed Abdel-Hamid and Mohamed Nassif were killed Sunday evening in clashes close to the Assiut governorate building and the FJP's headquarters in the city. Eyewitnesses say Muslim Brotherhood gunmen fired on them while protesting in front of the governorate offices. A total of 312 people were injured in Beheira, 15 in Menoufiya, seven in Damietta, five in Aswan, three in Daqahliya and 15 in President Morsi's home governorate of Sharqiya, only on Sunday.
