Egypt’s army imposes tight security as Islamists rally

Muslim Brotherhood Morsi supporters demonstrate in Maadi on the outskirts of Cairo Cairo – Akram Ali, Mohammed Al Dawi Egyptian security forces have imposed tight security measures on Friday after thousands began marching from mosques after noon prayers .
Supporters of Egypt's deposed president Mohammed Morsi vowed more rallies as police arrested another senior Islamist in an ongoing crackdown on Morsi loyalists. The call for further protests came as the interior ministry announced the arrest on Thursday of Muslim Brotherhood politician, Mohamed el-Beltagi in a village outside Cairo.
In Cairo, police blocked areas around expected marching destinations. In Mohandessin, Central Security Forces (CSF) fired teargas and shots into the air to prevent protesters approaching Sphinx Square. A CSF officer warned that those breaking the cordon around the square would be arrested.
Outside the capital, protests were reported in the northern cities of Alexandria, Beheira, and Menoufiya, Upper Egypt's Assiut and the Delta's Gharbiya.
Police forces fired tear gas to disperse protesters near to Al-Fatah Mosque in Cairo as clashes erupted between Morsi supporters and Shubra residents. Several have been wounded from both sides.
The National Alliance to Support Legitimacy released a statement on Wednesday saying that August 30 would be “the beginning of a civil disobedience campaign to pressure the putschists to end the coup.”
"We welcome any calls for calm, but we will continue protesting in a peaceful manner," Salah Gomaa, a member of the Anti-Coup Alliance led by Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, told a news conference.
The Islamist coalition has held almost daily rallies following a deadly police operation on August 14 to disperse their two protest camps in Cairo.
More than 1,000 people were killed in the operation and ensuing violence, and police have rounded up more than 2,000 Islamists, according to security sources.
The interior ministry said in a statement that it would forcefully confront any "attempt to affect the stability of public security," adding that live ammunition will be used on protesters who attack public institutions.
"In light of calls by wanted leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood for protests on Friday June 30 the interior ministry affirms its forces' readiness to confront any violation of the law," it said.
In a statement, the Anti-Coup Alliance called for the release of prisoners and demanded a probe into the violence over the past month.
Police have already arrested the Brotherhood's supreme guide Mohamed Badie and much of the senior leadership.
Badie and his deputies are standing trial on charges of involvement in the murder of protesters who stormed the Brotherhood's headquarters on June 30.
Morsi himself is being held at a secret location and faces charges related to his 2011 escape from prison and of inciting the death and torture of protesters.
The crackdown on the Islamists has severely impacted their ability to gather supporters on the street. Last Friday, only several thousand people heeded their call for marches in Cairo.
Meanwhile, the US embassy in Cairo has warned its nationals to stay away from areas of protests as "violence is expected."