Blasts hit Cairo as Egypt marks revolution

At least nine people dead in protests on third anniversary of Arab Spring uprising as three explosions rock the country.
Source: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/01/egypt-tense-ahead-arabspring-anni ersary-201412!4"#124$%$4#.html

&ast updated: 2! 'an 2014 1%:01

(t least nine people ha e died during demonstrations across )gypt on the third anni ersary o* the nation+s (rab Spring uprising while three separate e,plosions ha e le*t police and ci ilians injured -he health ministry con*irmed the deaths in .inya/ 0airo and 1iza. (t least 42 people ha e been injured in the protests. 3t comes as a car bomb/ initially reported as roc4et-propelled grenade by police/ hit a police base in Suez injuring nine people. )arlier on Saturday/ two e,plosions hit 0airo/ as an on-edge )gypt braced *or mass demonstrations on the anni ersary o* the uprising that toppled 5osni .ubara4.

-hree years o* struggle

January 25, 2011 - Protesters demand the fall of Hosni Mubarak. He resigns after 18 days of protest in which 850 people died. June 24, 2012 The Muslim president. rotherhood!backed Mohamed Morsi becomes "gypt#s democratically elected

June 30, 2013 Millions of people protest against Morsi#s year in power. July 3, 2013 Morsi remo$ed in military inter$ention backed by popular support.

6ne person was reported injured *ollowing blasts on Saturday in the 5adee4 al 7ubba area and a police building in eastern 0airo. -he attac4s come a day a*ter *our e,plosions targeting police in the capital 4illed si,. (lso on Saturday there were reports li e rounds had been *ired into the air by police to brea4 up about 1/000 anti-go ernment protesters/ 8euters news agency reported. -ear gas and bird shot were also being used/ the agency said. 6pponents o* the current army-bac4ed interim go ernment are held demonstrations on Saturday/ with some calling *or the return o* the 3slamist *ormer president/ .ohamed .orsi/ who became the *irst elected )gyptian president in 2012 but was remo ed *rom power last year in a military inter ention bac4ed by popular support. Sources said anti-.uslim 9rotherhood crowds gathered in -ahrir s:uare/ with more arri ing throughout the day/ chanting ;the people demand the e,ecution o* the 9rotherhood; and ;the people demand the a**irmation o* the regime.; -here were *urther reports o* clashes in .ohandiseen at an anti-go ernment protest as security *orces dispersed people coming out o* a mos:ue. Security *orces ha e bloc4ed o** areas o* the capital. -ahrir S:uare/ the epicentre o* the popular re olt that toppled .ubara4 in 2011/ was closed on Saturday ahead o* commemorations. .ubara4 was *orced to step down on <ebruary 11/ 2011 a*ter 1% days o* demonstrations in which an estimated %!0 people were 4illed. -he tensions come a day a*ter *our bombs 4illed si, people and injured more than %0 in attac4s targeting security *orces in the capital. 'Plot to spark chaos' -he *irst blast/ at the police+s central security directorate building/ 4illed *our people and wounded dozens/ and le*t a crater in the ground. 3t brought down ceilings and damaged e,hibits inside the .useum o* 3slamic (rt. -he second blast outside a metro station 4illed a security o**icer. -he third attac4ed a police station/ while the *ourth outside a cinema 4illed one person.

(nsar 9eit al-.a:dis/ an al-7aeda-inspired group led by bedouin *ighters in the Sinai =eninsula/ said late on <riday that it carried out the attac4s to a enge the deaths o* .orsi+s supporters since his remo al.
(t least 1/000 people ha e been 4illed and thousands o* 3slamists ha e been arrested/ while the military-installed authorities branded the 9rotherhood a ;terrorist; organisation in >ecember *ollowing a deadly attac4 on the police.

.i4e 5anna on the 0airo e,plosions -he interim go ernment and the pro-.orsi ?ational =ro-&egitimacy (lliance condemned the bombings. 5owe er/ the interim interior minister/ .ohamed 3brahim/ called *or demonstrations in support o* the go ernment and to counter what he said was an 3slamist ;plot to spar4 chaos;. 3brahim also owed security *orces would respond with ;*irmness; to any attempt by the ;.uslim 9rothers to sabotage the ceremonies;. Source: (l 'azeera and agencies