CAIRO: At least five protesters have been killed on Friday by the military and security forces as clashes at the country's Cabinet continue, medical sources said. Among the dead is a 14-year-old boy, activists said. Another four reportedly died en route to hospitals. The ministry of health reported early Friday evening that 99 people have been injured in the all-day violence that began in the early morning hours. They have not reported any deaths. Earlier in the day, protesters told Bikyamasr.com that at least three people were killed. “The first dead, the first dead,” said one protester as the young man was taken away, bloodied, into an ambulance. The violence began around two in the morning after an Ultra – a hardcore football fan – was allegedly abducted by security near the nearly three-week old sit-in in front of the Egyptian cabinet building. The man was reportedly beaten up and tortured by his captors. Protesters told Bikyamasr.com that a potential prisoner exchange was discussed, a defected soldier for the Ultra fan. Eventually, the Ultra fan was released, his face swollen twice the size after being punched repeatedly. Upon his release, fellow Ultras began chanting and then rock throwing ensued. “The military started throwing rocks first,” one protester told Bikyamasr.com. A number of tents were set ablaze inside the sit-in area. The military then opened water hoses directed toward the protesters, not the tents. At around 10 AM in the morning, smoke was still rising from the area, as broken rocks lined the ground around the area. Protesters, braving the barrage of rocks being thrown, had picked up plywood planks and were covering their heads from the rocks being thrown, in an attempt to get close enough to throw their own rocks back at the around 10 men high up on the building. At around 6 AM, security opened fire on the protesters. By then, the protesters had moved from the Magles el-Shaab to the main Qasr el-Aini street. It is unknown if the bullets used were live ammunition, but Bikyamasr.com did take an image of what appears to be a live round. Since then, it has turned into a stand-off between protesters and the plainclothes men above, with rock throwing persisting by the minute. The events of Friday morning follow last month's violent clashes only a few streets away on Mohamed Mahmoud street, where protesters and security – police and military – fought brutal battles for 6 days. At least 70 people were killed in the street fighting, which galvanized hundreds of thousands of Egyptians to take to the iconic Tahrir Square nearby, medical sources told Bikyamasr.com. Now, Cairo is in the midst of a new round of clashes after the military invaded the peaceful sit-in and violently removed the protesters from the area. Streets are closed and shops remain unopened on Friday. “We are waiting to see what happens next. When people wake up today, they will come and we will not stop this in the face of military,” Amr, a protester with rock in hand, told Bikyamasr.com ** Nicholas Nazari contributed to this report. Photo Gallery
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