CAIRO: As Egypt police reneged on a truce after dark on Sunday evening firing tear gas, birdshot and rubber bullets at protesters, the minister of interior said earlier in the day that security forces are using the “utmost restraint.” It comes as at least 12 people have been killed in the five days of clashes between police and demonstrators in Cairo and Suez. Interior Minister Major General Mohamed Ibrahim said that security forces have “committed themselves to the utmost self-restraint to avoid any casualties among the demonstrators, however, they [protesters] insisted moving towards the ministry`s headquarters, hence the forces were committed to defending it.” Ibrahim said at a news conference on Sunday afternoon that the demonstrators “hurled stones, bricks and fireworks at the Ministry of Interior, and that the central security forces tried to stop them in vain, but they kept on throwing the stones and fireworks,” adding that the ministry has notified the Attorney General to follow the incident and arrest those responsible. The minister said that the police forces were “only using tear gas in dealing with the protesters,” pointing out that the attorney general had earlier confirmed that the central security forces were armed with only tear gas.” This is in denial of the hundreds of injuries received by protesters from birdshot, rubber bullets and live ammunition. At least 17 people have lost one of their eyes as a result of the bullets being fired at them during the past five days of street battles. Ibrahim said the protesters reached “as far as 10 meters away from the Ministry`s headquarters, in large numbers” and accused them of “attempting to storm into the building, and that a group of vandals stormed into the Tax Collection Service`s building, where 123 were arrested.” Activists have reported that police attacks had left buildings on Mansour street and Mohamed Mahmoud street ablaze and the protesters themselves have attempted to put out fires daily. Ibrahim called on the protesters to “go back to Tahrir Square, even if they want to stage a sit-in, and not to approach the ministry of interior, to foil any attempts by some to sabotage state institutions.” He appealed to what he described as “real revolutionaries,” to go to the vicinity of the ministry of the interior, to identify the protesters to distinguish them from the vandals saying, “the rebels are a great value to us and the ministry is keen on not losing even one rebel.” The minister said after a meeting with the Cabinet`s Security Committee, headed by Prime Minister Kamal Ganzouri that he is “committed not to use violence against the youth revolutionaries of January 25″ and also called on all political forces and the members of revolutionary movements to “persuade the demonstrators to return to Tahrir Square,” saying: “It is difficult to differentiate between the peaceful rebels and outlaws and thugs.” BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/HSVxD Tags: featured, MOI, Police, Thugs Section: Egypt, Latest News
