Security forces in the Nile Delta city of Tanta succeeded in preventing dozens of would-be protesters from staging demonstrations in front of the provincial governor's office, arresting several of them in the process. "Four activists have been reported either arrested or detained by police," said Gharbeya-based opposition activist Mahmoud al-Badawa. Those arrested were activists associated with the 6 April protest movement and one female activist from the conservative opposition Ahrar Party. "Osama was kidnapped by plainclothes police officers while on his way to take his exams at the University of Tanta," explained 6 April member Mahmoud al-Baroudy. Meanwhile, security forces in the Nile Delta city of Mahalla al-Kubra managed to thwart another planned demonstration, according to eyewitnesses at the scene. They said police could be seen chasing activists throughout the streets of the city. On Tuesday, thousands of demonstrators had gathered in the city's main square chanting anti-Mubarak slogans. Shortly after midnight, however, they were dispersed by police. In the northern canal city of Suez, dozens of protesters gathered in front of the hospital to which the dead body of one demonstrator--killed yesterday by a rubber bullet--was taken. Ghareeb al-Saied, 44, who died on Wednesday morning, was one of three people shot dead during clashes between protesters and riot police in Suez. The prosecution office in Suez is reportedly interrogating 20 people accused of attacking security forces. In the coastal city of Damietta, meanwhile, eyewitnesses on Wednesday said security forces had cordoned off Al-Shihabiya Square to prevent people from demonstrating. Four people were reportedly arrested. According to local medical sources, some 350 people were injured in the clashes, mostly due to teargas inhalation. Security sources said that 20 police people had been reported injured.
