The body of a man is carried on a stretcher at the Liltaqmeen al-Sahy Hospital in Cairo’s Nasr City district, after allegedly being killed during a shooting at the site of a pro-Morsi sit-in in front of the headquarters of the Egyptian Republican Guard on July 8, 2013 in Cairo, Egypt. (Photo by Ed Giles/Getty Images)
Protesters and police continue to clash in Cairo amongst the current political unrest in Egypt. At least 51 pro-Morsi supporters and three members of the state’s security forces have been reported dead, according to a statement by Egpytian Health Ministry official, Khaled al-Khatib. The Muslim Brotherhood’s political party has called for an all-out rebellion against the army. Other reports are claiming that at least 322 people have been injured. This has been the highest death toll in Egypt since the peaceful military coup over Muhammad Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood government.
“They attacked us as we prayed,” said a Morsi supporter, calling in the incident a massacre.
Witnesses said the military began to fire into the crowd as a “terrorist group” attacked the heavily defended Republican Guard barracks, where recently ousted Mohammed Morsi was believed to be held since his toppling last Wednesday.
A nationally televised press conference on Monday afternoon claimed that the complex came under “heavy fire” in the middle of the night as attackers on adjacent rooftops opened fire with guns and molotov cocktails. Two police officers were killed and more than 40 people were injured in the event.
The head of Egypt’s emergency services, Muhammed Sultan says the victims were fired on with both live ammunition from automatic weapons and birdshot (a kind of shotgun shell filled with BB pellets). The clashes took place at about 5:30 local time. Multiple Muslim Brotherhood supporters suffered large chest wounds and fatal gunshots in their backs, according to eye-witness Fox News sources.
There have been at least 72 fatalities since the clashes began on June 28.