CAIRO (AP) – Egypt tightened security in Cairo and other cities Sunday as police moved to break up scattered protests marking the anniversary of the 2011 uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak, killing three protesters, injuring at least 21 and arresting dozens.
The deaths – two in the Cairo district of Matariyah and one in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria – occurred when police clashed with supporters of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group in both cities, security officials said. Earlier, a firebombing set a city tram ablaze in Alexandria and a gas pipeline blew up in a Nile Delta province, they said.
In Beheira, also in the Delta, two suspected Islamists were killed when a bomb they were placing under a high voltage tower exploded, officials said.
Two police officers were injured by shrapnel when a roadside bomb exploded in an eastern Cairo district and six more were wounded in the Matariyah clashes, according to the security officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they weren’t authorized to talk to journalists.
Cairo, a city of some 18 million people, appeared mostly deserted Sunday, with many residents staying home to avoid being caught up in any turmoil. However, the officials and activists said police arrested several dozen protesters, mostly suspected Islamists, across much of Cairo – including areas close to the city’s Tahrir square, birthplace of the 2011 uprising.