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The Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday that at least 18 journalists have been assaulted, injured, or arrested in the past three days while covering Cairo clashes. CPJ also called on the ruling military to "identify the attackers and bring them to justice immediately, as well as to release journalists in custody." Maj. Gen. Mukhtar al-Mullah, a member of the military council, warned late Friday in a televised statement that those involved in or instigating violence would be arrested. The daily Al-Ahram quoted an unidentified military official as saying 50 men who were allegedly hiding inside a mosque with automatic weapons were among those arrested. Violence also spread the port city of Suez where anti-military protesters pelted the building of the governor's office with stones. Seven were arrested. Anger at the ruling military council, which took power after Mubarak's ouster, has risen across the political spectrum as the generals are accused of steering a messy transition, using oppressive measures and maneuvering to maintain a degree of power even after the presidential election and handover of authority. The Islamists have joined in after the disqualification of two heavyweight Islamists, Abu Ismail and Muslim Brotherhood chief strategist Khairat el-Shater, whose group has been frustrated that its domination of parliament
-- where it holds nearly half the seats -- has not translated into political power. The generals promised Thursday to hand over power after one of the 13 remaining candidates wins an outright victory, but they also warned against protests near the Defense Ministry and said soldiers have the right to defend their positions. Friday's clashes centered around the pro-Abu Ismail sit-in that has been maintained for a week in a square several blocks away from the heavily guarded Defense Ministry. The Salafis have been involved in past fighting but for the first time were in the front lines, signaling a dangerous escalation in tensions.
The more politically savvy Brotherhood called for the march to Abbasiyah on Thursday but stayed in Tahrir on Friday. Some liberal and leftist groups joined the Salafis in Abbasiyah on Friday to show solidarity after Wednesday's deaths but most of them later withdrew. "The farce in Abbasiyah showed that this is a battle that does not serve any interest for the Egyptian people," said the leftist group April 6. "We decided to withdraw and not participate in the shedding of Egyptian blood." Others accused Abu Ismail of dragging the country to confrontation with the military, reflecting divisions over whether to support the Salafis who oppose the military but also are known to include Islamic extremists. "The man has believed his own lies and is now land-mining Egypt to serve his own interests," wrote Ibrahim Eissa, a chief editor of the independent Tahrir daily. The circumstances surrounding the deadly clashes on Wednesday that launched the current round of tensions remain unclear as protesters at the sit-in and Abbasiyah residents traded allegations. Protesters said that the assailants were hired thugs or plainclothes police and troops, similar to past attacks. They also said the military allowed Wednesday's attack to take place, noting troops nearby did nothing to stop fighting for hours. But residents and activists said some of the protesters were armed and provoked the situation. Alaa Abdel-Fatah, a prominent democracy activist, claimed in several tweets that protesters had weapons. "The revolutionaries also fired live ammunition in the middle of residential streets," he tweeted on Wednesday. "We have battled with the wrong people, and we have threatened innocent souls secure in their houses."
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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