RECAP: Egypt’s ‘Day Of Rejection’ Turned Deadly

Violence flared across Egypt as supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, the party of ex-President Mohamed Morsi, clashed with the opposition

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Mideast EgyptHassan Ammar / AP

Egyptian military convoy arrives at the site of clashes between the supporters and opponents of the ousted President Mohamed Morsi in Cairo on July 5.

7:01 p.m:

After a rough 24 hours, relative peace and calm (as well as a few armored personnel carriers) have returned to the streets of Egypt following a vicious day of protests. The nationwide death toll reached 30, including 12 in Alexandria, and nearly 200 people were injured in Cairo alone. The supporters of deposed President Mohamed Morsi came out in force against the opposition to demand his reinstatement. That didn’t happen, but today certainly showed the strength of his base. After midnight, word broke that Khairat el-Shater, the deputy head of the Muslim Brotherhood and perhaps the organization’s most powerful influencer, had been arrested.

We’ll keep an eye out for additional updates.

(PHOTOS: Violence Reigns After Coup Removes Morsi)

Here’s some other writing and photos from the day’s events:

— Noah Rayman


Earlier:

Two days after the Egyptian military ousted President Mohamed Morsi, who was democratically elected last June, and suspended the country’s constitution, supporters of the ex-president are in the streets calling for his reinstatement. Clashes have broken out across the country between those supporters and the opposition pleased with his removal, with gunfire flaring from both sides. At least three protesters were killed earlier today near the Republican Guard headquarters—with many others injured. The Supreme Leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Morsi’s party, announced at a rally in Cairo: “We will stay in public squares until we free our elected president and we carry him on our shoulders.”

Stay tuned for the latest updates.


6:38 p.m:

After the violence subsided, AP released updated figures on the day’s death toll across the country. Thirty dead, up from 17.

[tweet https://twitter.com/AP/status/353279691924316160%5D


6:03 p.m:

Mideast EgyptHassan Ammar / AP

Supporters and opponents of Egypt’s ex-President Mohamed Morsi clash in Cairo on July 5.


5:40 p.m:

During a live broadcast, CNN’s team including Ben Wedeman had their camera taken by the Egyptian military. Video here. Moments after, users on Twitter were mumbling about whether Wedeman, himself, was arrested. It appears not:

[tweet https://twitter.com/bencnn/status/353263280480993280%5D


4:43 p.m:

[tweet https://twitter.com/evanchill/status/353251810816974848%5D


4:40 p.m:

The Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the ranking Democratic member released a joint statement cautiously endorsing the military’s ouster of President Mohamed Morsi. The Egyptian president did not embrace “real democracy,” wrote Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) and Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY).

“It is now up to the Egyptian military to demonstrate that the new transitional government can and will govern in a transparent manner and work to return the country to democratic rule,” they added.

Read the full statement here.


4:37 p.m:

[tweet https://twitter.com/AlexanderPageSY/status/353248975236775936%5D


4:34 p.m.:

Members of the Muslim Brotherhood and supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi (back) clash with anti-Mursi protesters near Maspero, Egypt's state TV and radio station, near Tahrir square in Cairo July 5, 2013.

Amr Abdallah Dalsh / Reuters

Members of the Muslim Brotherhood and supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi (back) clash with anti-Mursi protesters near Maspero, Egypt’s state TV and radio station, near Tahrir square in Cairo on July 5.


4:32 p.m.:

The Muslim Brotherhood has taken to Twitter a fair amount during the deadly attacks between pro- and anti-Morsi demonstrators since June 30. That’s no different during today’s “Day of Rejection,” the Brotherhood’s response to Morsi’s ouster by the military about 48 hours ago. Here’s their latest:

[tweet https://twitter.com/Ikhwanweb/status/353246432280580097%5D
[tweet https://twitter.com/Ikhwanweb/status/353245137389879296%5D
[tweet https://twitter.com/Ikhwanweb/status/353237876181442560%5D


4:26 p.m.:

Al Jazeera: Egypt’s state-run TV reports the health ministry has tallied 17 deaths during today’s clashes around the country


4:14 p.m.:

Five police officers were gunned down in Egypt’s El Arish, in northern Sinai, in separate attacks. It’s unclear if attacks were in retaliation for Morsi’s ouster.

Morsi supporters have clashed with security forces across Egypt, including the Sinai cities of Suez and Ismailia. State television is reporting that authorities are imposing a curfew on two towns in Northern Sinai along the border with Israel and the Gaza Strip.

— Noah Rayman


4:05 p.m.:

Egyptian army reportedly moving onto 6th October Bridge in Cairo to contain violence and disperse violence crowds, made up of supporters and opponents of ex-President Mohamed Morsi.

[tweet https://twitter.com/AP/status/353243029085224960%5D


3:48 p.m.:

Where’s Obama?

The Obama administration is under fire for its slow response to the events underway in Egypt, urging the military only to “move quickly and responsibly” to return to a democratically elected government. The criticism was compounded today when the State Department conceded that, contrary to its earlier statements, Secretary of State John Kerry was indeed on his boat in the Nantucket Sound on Wednesday afternoon as the upheaval unfolded.

“While he was briefly on his boat on Wednesday, Secretary Kerry worked around the clock all day including participating in the President’s meeting with his national security council,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told CBS News.

— Noah Rayman


3:39 p.m.:

[tweet https://twitter.com/sharifkouddous/status/353235791444582400%5D


3:27 p.m.:

[tweet https://twitter.com/AP/status/353232701689565185%5D


3:21 p.m.:

Analysis roundup:

Harvard professor Noah Feldman says political Islam is not responsible for the upheaval in Egypt:

“In both Tunisia and Egypt, the first democratic elections produced significant pluralities favoring Islamic democratic parties. Ennahda, the Islamist movement whose political party won in Tunisia, is ideologically similar to the Muslim Brotherhood, and is a kind of associate of the Brotherhood’s loosely affiliated internationale.… The contrasting personalities and styles of their leaders, however, have pushed Ennahda and the Brotherhood to behave differently when negotiating religion with secularists in their respective countries.”

Marc Lynch, a professor at George Washington University, writes that no good can come out of a military intervention:

“Nobody should celebrate a military coup against Egypt’s first freely elected president, no matter how badly he failed or how badly they hate the Muslim Brotherhood. Turfing out Morsy will not come close to addressing the underlying failures that have plagued Egypt’s catastrophic transition over the last two and a half years. The military’s intervention is an admission of the failure of Egypt’s entire political class, and those now celebrating already probably know that they could soon rue the coup.”

Bassem Sabry, an Egyptian blogger, claims for Al Monitor that Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood’s failure to cooperate with the opposition led to their downfall.

“I believe in democracy and I have always argued in favor of the democratic process taking its course in Egypt, and always argued against any political exclusion. I consistently called for national reconciliation and compromise as the most sustainable way forward. Having said all of that, I cannot shake my conviction that Morsi, and the Brotherhood, had it coming. It was inevitable that an explosion was coming.”

— Noah Rayman


3:10 p.m.:

Sophia Jones, a freelance journalist based in Cairo, wrote a first-person account for The Daily Beast of working in the city amid its unshakable reputation for sexual harassment. Here’s a more positive excerpt from Wednesday evening:

“On the night of July 3, as I stood among the sea of protesters, a deep voice boomed from a megaphone in front of me. ‘If any man even thinks about touching a woman in this crowd,’ the voice said, ‘then he should die before the thought crosses even his mind.’ The crowd roared in response. On this night, standing in the crowd at the presidential palace, I saw a side of Egypt that I have never seen before, and one that I hope will one day be the new normal. ‘Make space for the women!’ the man with the megaphone shouted, the speakers cutting out at certain points under the sheer ferocity of his words. ‘A woman’s voice is the voice of the revolution!’ he screamed. The crowd roared again.”


3:00 p.m.:

Jon Williams, foreign editor, ABC:


2:47 p.m.:

Here’s a live feed at the 6th October bridge in Cairo as pro-Morsi and anti-Morsi groups exchange fire. A car is sitting in flames away from protesters. Helicopters hover overhead but neither the military, nor police, are visible on the scene.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiXzvq0FOYo]


2:38 p.m.:

Egypt’s public prosecutor ordered today the release of two leading figures in the Muslim Brotherhood, who were arrested on Thursday after the military overthrew Morsi on a day earlier, the state news agency MENA said. The two were Saad El-Katatni, head of the Brotherhood’s political wing and former speaker of parliament, and one of the Brotherhood’s deputy leaders named Rashad al-Bayoumi. They remain under investigation for inciting violence.


2:08 p.m.:

[tweet https://twitter.com/AdhamNileFm/status/353213933340983296%5D


1:54 p.m.:

[tweet https://twitter.com/stevenacook/status/353210279233978368%5D


1:18 p.m.:

[tweet https://twitter.com/RawyaRageh/status/353201167813189632%5D


Supporters of ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi carry a man who was shot during a gun battle outside the Cairo headquarters of the Republican Guard on July 5, 2013.

Mahmoud Khaled / AFP / Getty Images

Supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi carry a man who was shot during a gun battle outside the Cairo headquarters of the Republican Guard on July 5.


9:19 a.m.:

[tweet https://twitter.com/AFP/statuses/353141006830534656%5D


8:41 a.m.: A few hours ago, BBC Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen was at the scene of clashes near the Republican Guard headquarters. Later, he was injured from shot gun pellets

[tweet https://twitter.com/BowenBBC/status/353160124078100481%5D
[tweet https://twitter.com/sharifkouddous/status/353156614544572416%5D
[tweet https://twitter.com/BowenBBC/status/353131479498362881%5D


Egyptians after the presidency handover in Egypt

JUSTIN WILKES / EPA

Protesters take cover from tear gas during clashes near the headquarters of the Republican Guard, in Cairo on July 5.

JULY 3RD, RECAP: As Morsi Languishes in Detention, Egypt Wakes Up to New Interim Leader

Egyptian army soldiers

KHALED DESOUKI / AFP / Getty Images

Egyptian army soldiers sit on top of an armoured personnel carrier (APC) in a Cairo street on July 3, 2013 after the army deployed dozens of armoured vehicles near gathering of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi’s supporters


Recap on events overnight:

Time is up for President Mohamed Morsi. Egypt’s head-of-state was democratically elected last June, but another year of instability and chaos has summoned his demise. Now, the military has taken control and Morsi is currently in detention in an unknown location. His defiant words last night that “If the price of protecting legitimacy is my blood, I’m willing to pay for it,” may not have had the effect he desired. Afterward, clashes at Cairo University left at least 16 dead and more than 200 injured.

In his place, little-known judge Adli Mansour was sworn in as interim President on Thursday morning. Two days ago he assumed the post of chief justice of the Constitutional Court, but now he has the highest office in the land. More on Mansour and the general behind the coup here. Reprisals against Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood have been reported across the country in the wake of his ousting.

Anti-Morsi protesters have amassed in the streets since last Friday in demonstrations reminiscent of — if not larger than — those that brought down three-decade President Hosni Mubarak in February 2011. Violence between supporters of the two sides has escalated. Civilian political leaders, including the opposition’s Mohammed ElBaradei, was summoned by the army to an emergency meeting — a sign that the generals were preparing for a replacement government. President Barack Obama has been reluctant to meddle, but the White House reported he told Morsi on Monday that “democracy is about more than elections.”


5:45 a.m.

Just who is Egypt’s new interim leader? Get the lowdown on Adli Mansour and the general who put him in office here.


5:41 a.m.

Mansour is sworn in live on state TV and gives a short speech declaring that the Egyptian people have empowered him to “amend and correct” the revolution.


5:22 a.m.

Is there any such thing as a good coup? TIME’s Karl Vick ponders the question in his analysis of the situation in Egypt, coming up in about 20 minutes.


5:01 a.m.

Tongue-in-cheek calls of “yasqot” [down with] Adli Mansour just minutes after he was sworn in as interim head-of-state. Netizens poking fun at Egypt’s record of two “revolutions” just one year apart.


4:51 a.m.

Ahmad Sarhan, former spokesman for Ahmed Shafik’s 2012 presidential campaign and a business strategist, says that Egyptian stocks have rallied upon news of President Morsi’s removal from office.


4:45 a.m.

Egypt Press Office reports that Adli Mansour has now been sworn in not as a head of state but as the “head of the Constitutional Court” with “executive authority.”


4:31 a.m.

Adli Mansour has been sworn in as de facto interim Egyptian President in the capital Cairo and will also remain chief justice, Egyptian state TV reports.


4:21 a.m.

Associated Press is reporting oil at over $101 a barrel owing to a fall in US supply but also the Egyptian unrest, which could potentially slow the flow of crude. More here.


4:19 a.m.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd calls for Egypt to return to democratic government and urges Australians to leave the country.


4:14 a.m.

Interim president Adli Mansour to be sworn in any moment now. We’ll have some more biographical details on him shortly.


4:10 a.m.

The Lowy Institute, a leading Australian international policy think tank, writes that the Muslim Brotherhood is far from a spent force in Egyptian politics and the landscape will probably become even more polarized following the coup.


4:04 a.m.

U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague tells BBC Radio 4 that the British government does not support the military intervention in Egypt but does accept it.


4:01 a.m.

Coup lite? The New York Times points out at that army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has “laid out a more detailed and faster plan for a return to civilian governance than the now-retired generals who deposed [previous President Hosni] Mubarak did two years ago.” The military strongman has apparently avoided establishing anything resembling a junta and has empowered interim president Adli Mansour with the right to make “constitutional decrees” during the transitional period.


3:52 a.m.

“An attempt to crack down on Islamists and deprive them of their political rights – coupled with restrictions on the media and the like – would be a cure worse than the ill, almost certainly driving Islamist groups underground and giving rise to a generation of radicalized Islamists, in Egypt and beyond, who will have lost faith in peaceful, democratic change. How far Egypt’s Islamists will go in challenging what they no doubt perceive as an illegitimate coup is unclear. But it is virtually certain that they remain strong enough to spoil their opponents’ success. “

From the International Crisis Group’s statement on Egypt.


3:49 a.m.

CNN reports that protesters turned on U.S. President Barack Obama and expressed bitterness regarding Washington’s perceived interference in Egypt’s domestic affairs with support of Muslim Brotherhood.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-48gVpBjg14]


3:43 a.m.

With the Muslim Brotherhood in disarray, and facing the arrest of hundreds of members, it’s a useful time find out who the other main forces on the Egyptian political landscape are. Check out Al Jazeera’s useful summary here.


3:39 a.m.

Shadi Hamid, director of research at the Brookings Doha Center, is now on CNN International, talking about the latest developments in Egypt.


3:32 a.m.

Reports are coming in that the journalists from Al Jazeera and Muslim Brotherhood TV channels detained by the military overnight have now been released, after the intervention of Diaa Rashwan, heads of the Cairo Journalists Syndicate.


3:21 a.m.

In Cairo and want to make yourself useful? Then head to the Tahrir Square clean up at 2 p.m. local time, bringing trash bags and gloves. Organizers stress that this doesn’t mean the revolution is over, merely that the square is being made “clean for upcoming pressure protests.” Meet in front of Hardee’s.


3:11 a.m.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan calls for calm in Egypt, having weathered a month of nationwide protests against his own government in June. The 59-year-old invested heavily to forge a strong alliance with ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, and shares similar beliefs in political Islam.


2:52 a.m.

“What is happening in Egypt is the fall of what is known as political Islam,” embattled Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad tells state newspaper Ath-Thawra. “Anywhere in the world, whoever uses religion for political aims, or to benefit some and not others, will fall.”

There is no love lost between the Damascus regime and Muslim Brotherhood. Morsi was vocal in calling for Assad to step down and the Brotherhood is a key component of Syria’s rebel National Coalition.


2:41 a.m.

Morsi is likely to be charged by the military for his involvement in the Wadi Natrun escape of 2011. The jailbreak took place during the 2011 revolution, from a prison outside Cairo. Morsi was among the many Muslim Brotherhood members who escaped, with the alleged help of Hamas and Hezbollah.


2:32 a.m.

Egyptians around the world have been celebrating Morsi’s ouster. This image of a jubilant mother and her child was taken in Toronto’s Queen’s Park.


2:16 a.m.

BBC reporting that Adli Mansour is to be sworn in as interim leader, hours after President Mohammed Morsi was ousted in a military coup.


2:01 a.m.

Al-Jazeera Egypt was live on air when military forced broadcaster to shut down. Soldiers can be heard coming into the studio during the below clip. Three other stations were also reportedly closed during coup with staff detained.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRj2cw5Q7L4]


1:52 a.m.

Human Rights Watch calls on Egypt’s new government to “break decisively from a pattern of serious abuses that has prevailed since the January 2011 uprising, and make a commitment to respect the rights to free expression and peaceful assembly.” New York-based group worried about arbitrary punishments meted out on members of Muslim Brotherhood.


1:42 a.m.

Incredible aerial footage of millions protesting across Cairo. Could this be the largest single demonstration in modern history?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7KeY830sLE]


1:31 a.m.

Sara Hussein, AFP’s Middle East reporter, says that an army official has told the news agency that Morsi is being held for “final preparations.” Sounds ominous, but it is thought that this is a reference to formal charges.


1:19 a.m.  

Rebel, the “official” song of the anti-Morsi Tamarod Campaign comes courtesy of young Alexandria rappers Wara2a B-100. Great flow!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Mld9r0oUZ7Q]


1:04 a.m.  

Khaled Elgindy of the Brookings Institution and Egyptian American Rule of Law Association.


12:54 a.m. 

Massive demonstrations turned to celebrations in Tahrir Square. Photograph by Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME. See more via Instagram here.


12:34 a.m.  

As Cairo wakes up, there must be many wondering about the possibility of an Islamist backlash. USA Today quotes  Shadi Hamid, director of research at the Brookings Doha Center, as saying that the coup will only reinforce the jihadist conviction that their goals can never be accomplished through democratic means. “It provides real ammunition for al Qaeda and other extremist groups that have been arguing for years that change is not possible through democracy, and violence is the only way,” Hamid says. Egyptian army chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi warns that the authorities will respond “decisively” to any violence.
 

12:32 a.m.

U.S. State Department advises Americans to leave Egypt in a statement.


12:23 a.m.

With President Morsi detained by the military, the nation is now being run by Adli Mansour. Mansour was placed in charge by Egyptian generals but was actually elected to the country’s top judicial position by Morsi himself. More on the interim leader and prospects for a peaceful transition by Firstpost here.


12:16 a.m.

Al Jazeera has a good summary of international reactions to Morsi’s ouster here. In brief: Western powers are wary, calling for a quick return to civilian government. Saudi Arabia, Syria and UAE welcome the change. In Damascus, President Bashar al-Assad hails the coup as the demise of “political Islam.”


12:02 a.m.

Embattled Morsi supporters show support for the ousted President as reports of attacks on the Muslim Brotherhood come in from across the country.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypuIie5cEvc]


11:57 p.m.

The director of Human Rights Watch Egypt, Heba Morayef, tweets a plea for tolerance during the early hours of the morning in Cairo, calling the arrest of Muslim Brotherhood leaders “destabilizing.”

In an earlier tweet, she compares the latest coup with “the dark Mubarak days.”


11:38 p.m.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon releases a statement appealing for calm and respect for human rights. “The world is watching closely the next steps with the hope that Egyptians will remain on a peaceful course, overcome the deep difficulties they are facing today, and find the needed common ground to move forward in a transition for which so many fought so courageously.”


11:29 p.m.

Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Gehad El-Haddad claims that a pro-Morsi rally in Cairo’s Rabaa district was shot at two hours ago by gun men in plain clothes. No casualties reported, but Morsi supporters are shaken. “Weren’t armed forces supposed to protect protests?” he asks.


11:25 p.m.


11:20 p.m.

Reuters reports of gunfire early on Thursday morning around a gathering of Morsi supporters near a Cairo mosque. Witnesses could not confirm if anyone was injured.


11.12 p.m.

In case you missed it, a statement on Egypt by U.S. President Barack Obama says he is “deeply concerned” by today’s coup. “I now call on the Egyptian military to move quickly and responsibly to return full authority back to a democratically elected civilian government as soon as possible through an inclusive and transparent process, and to avoid any arbitrary arrests of President [Morsi] and his supporters.”

Read the full statement here.


10:40 p.m.

Muslim Brotherhood spokesman claims Morsi is been separated from other officials and taken to a Ministry of Defense facility.


A clip of the televised statement by Gen. Abdel-Fatah al-Sisi, Egyptian Army chief:

PHOTOS: Egypt Erupts As Army Deadline Passes


9:53 p.m.


6:00 p.m.

Ashraf Khalil, TIME’s correspondent on the ground in Cairo, just filed his dispatch from the day’s events:

“After days of mounting speculation and brinksmanship, the Egyptian army carried out its threat to end the country’s crippling ideological divide by ousting President Mohamed Morsi–just over one year after he was inaugurated as the country’s first democratically elected civilian president.”

Read the full dispatch on TIME World here.


5:27 p.m.

Egyptians celebrating Morsi’s ouster


5:18 p.m.

That grainy video going viral of (now) former President Mohamed Morsi reportedly being arrested earlier today is actually at least a month old:

[tweet https://twitter.com/corybe/status/352538921651011584%5D

(h/t @AlexJamesFitz)


4:51 p.m.

Back in 2011, Egyptians took their cue from the Tunisians when they swarmed the streets calling for the end of former President Mubarak’s thirty-year rule. This time, the trend may be headed in the other direction, Reuters reports. Tunisian opposition activists have launched their version of Egypt’s Tamarud protest movement, an early campaign to remove Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi that claimed 22 million signatures.

Tunisia’s version is a fraction of the size and hasn’t gathered the same momentum, but its members are targeting Tunisia’s own Ennahdha-led government. “Tunisia’s young are following in the footsteps of young Egyptians.. We are not satisfied with what is happening in the country, from an attack on freedoms to a bad economic and social situation,” the spokesman said earlier today.

— Noah Rayman


5:13 p.m.

Adly Mansour, chief justice, named interim president

Jon Williams, foreign editor, ABC


4:08 p.m.

Washington Post’s Ernesto Londono reports that the U.S. Embassy in Cairo has ordered the mandatory evacuation of all personnel deemed non-essential: “We will begin departures immediately, with the expectation that all evacuees will have left for the States by this weekend,” embassy employees were told in an e-mail obtained by the Post. London adds that some embassy personnel had left Egypt voluntarily leading up to today and that staffers will no longer have a say on whether they get to stay.


4:05 p.m.

Shadi Hamid, director of research at the Brookings Doha Center and a fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy:

[tweet https://twitter.com/shadihamid/status/352517575042801665%5D


3:58 p.m.

Tweets from the Twitter account of the Egyptian president, immediately after al-Sisi’s speech announcing that Morsi had been ousted.

[tweet https://twitter.com/EgyPresidency/status/352510972046483459%5D
[tweet https://twitter.com/EgyPresidency/status/352510525436997632%5D
[tweet https://twitter.com/EgyPresidency/status/352509205959286785%5D


3:52 p.m.

Matt McBradley, Middle East correspondent for The Wall Street Journal

[tweet https://twitter.com/MattMcBradley/status/352515034024390658%5D


3:52 p.m.

Andy Carvin, of NPR

[tweet https://twitter.com/acarvin/status/352514228525088769%5D


3:48 p.m.

APTOPIX Mideast Egypt

Hiro Komae / AP

Egyptians celebrate the military’s ouster of President Mohamed Morsi at a tea house in Cairo’s Zamalek district Wednesday, July 3, 2013.


3:39 p.m.

AP: Morsi’s aide says Egyptian leader Morsi has been moved to an undisclosed location


3:28 p.m.

In a televised statement, military chief Abdel Fatah Khalil al Sisi said President Mohamed Morsi was ousted by the army and the constitution has been suspended: “the Egyptian people are calling for help, not calling it to hold the reigns of power or the rule but to discharge its civil responsibility.”

Sultan Al Qassemi, commentator of Arab affairs
[tweet https://twitter.com/SultanAlQassemi/status/352502670340268033%5D

Gregg Carlstrom, of Al Jazeera
[tweet https://twitter.com/glcarlstrom/status/352502682013016064%5D

Hannah Allam, of McClatchy
[tweet https://twitter.com/HannahAllam/status/352502986246864896%5D

Evan C. Hill, a journalist based in Cairo
[tweet https://twitter.com/evanchill/status/352503585604505600%5D


2:49 p.m.

With an Army announcement expected in about an hour or so, Ed Husain, a senior fellow in Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, issued a timely reminder:

[tweet https://twitter.com/Ed_Husain/status/352497574181208065%5D


2:48 p.m.

Mideast Egypt

Amr Nabil / AP

Opponents of Egypt’s Islamist President Mohammed Morsi celebrate as they light flares and wave national flags and his picture with Arabic reads, “leave”, in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, July 3, 2013.


2:43 p.m.

In the quickest and briefest of reminders for those not on the ground in Cairo, the hashtag #WeAreWithMorsi has trending worldwide on Twitter. Most of the tweets are actually in Turkish.


2:32 p.m.

Just in from Kareem Fahim, reporter for The New York Times:

https://twitter.com/kfahim/status/352494423071936512/photo/1


2:20 p.m.

Fireworks go off as protesters, who are against Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi, gather in Tahrir Square in Cairo

Asmaa Waguih / REUTERS

Fireworks go off as protesters, who are against Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi, gather in Tahrir Square in Cairo July 3, 2013.


Egypt Protsts Intensify As Army Deadline Passes

Spencer Platt / Getty Images

Tens of thousands of Egyptian protesters celebrate in Tahrir Square as the deadline given by the military to Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi passes on July 3, 2013 in Cairo, Egypt.


2:16 p.m.

Reuters is reporting that a leading Islamic figure in Egypt will join with the head of the Egyptian Coptic Church and opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei to announce a political road map. Earlier today, the military convened a meeting with political and religious leaders in a sign that the military was planning for a government post-president Mohamed Morsi. Morsi’s whereabouts are currently unknown.

Noah Rayman


2:03 p.m.

Egypt Protests Intensify As Army Deadline Passes

Ed Giles / Getty Images

Egyptian opposition protesters celebrate as news is announced of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi proposing a consensus government as a way out of the country’s political crisis, at Egypt’s Presidential Palace on July 3, 2013 in Cairo, Egypt.


1:58 p.m.

In a briefing this afternoon, the U.S. State Department is “very concerned” about situation in Egypt, calling it “fluid.” State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki did not say whether a military coup is underway.


1:51 p.m.

Ivan Watson, of CNN

[tweet https://twitter.com/IvanCNN/status/352482501631033344%5D


1:42 p.m.

Abigail Hauslohner, former TIME correspondent and current Cairo Bureau Chief for Washington Post

[tweet https://twitter.com/ahauslohner/status/352481749097390082%5D


1:40 p.m.

Adam Baron, a freelance journalist based in Sana’a, Yemen

[tweet https://twitter.com/adammbaron/status/352481497854390272%5D


1:38 p.m.

Protesters, who are against Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi, gather in Tahrir Square in Cairo

Mohamed Abd El Ghany / REUTERS

Protesters, who are against Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi, gather in Tahrir Square in Cairo July 3, 2013.


1:34 p.m.

Al Jazeera reports the Egyptian army is blocking off roads in and around Cairo to contain large crowds. Colonel Ahmed Ali, a military spokesman, posted this statement on Facebook:

“Our army is seeking to secure all Egyptians, regardless of their affiliations. We call on local and international media not to spread any inaccurate information that may drive a wedge between the army and the people,” he said on his Facebook page.


1:28 p.m.

McClatchy reporter Hannah Allam is live-tweeting the U.S. State Department’s briefing. Here’s what the government is saying about the current situation in Egypt:

[tweet https://twitter.com/HannahAllam/status/352481515462066176%5D
[tweet https://twitter.com/HannahAllam/status/352478874203992064%5D
[tweet https://twitter.com/HannahAllam/status/352477851792052225%5D
[tweet https://twitter.com/HannahAllam/status/352477619381481472%5D
[tweet https://twitter.com/HannahAllam/status/352477456516657152%5D
[tweet https://twitter.com/HannahAllam/status/352477301834919938%5D


1:22 p.m.

Just posted by Amro Ali, a Ph.D. scholar at Sydney University, in Alexandria

[tweet https://twitter.com/_amroali/status/352475685828304897%5D


1:13 p.m.

Shadi Hamid, director of research at the Brookings Doha Center and a fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy

[tweet https://twitter.com/shadihamid/status/352470857261662209%5D


1:11 p.m.

[tweet https://twitter.com/AJELive/status/352474027308228608%5D


1:07 p.m.

New York Times reporter Kareem Fahim has witnessed hours-long clashes at a pro-Morsi rally in Nasr City

[tweet https://twitter.com/kfahim/status/352469276252311552%5D


1:02 p.m.

[tweet https://twitter.com/AP/status/352466710470737921%5D


12:54 p.m.: Syria Tells Morsi to Step Down

Omran Zoabi, Syria’s information minister, was quoted by state-run SANA news agency as saying that an embattled Morsi should step down to prevent further chaos: “(Egypt’s) crisis can be overcome if Mohamed Mursi realizes that the overwhelming majority of the Egyptian people reject him and are calling on him to go.” The statement carries immense irony, though, as the U.N. recently confirmed that more than 100,000 Syrians have been killed in the uprising-turned-civil-war between opposition rebels and forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.

Read the full report from Reuters here.

— Andrew Katz


12:44 p.m.

[tweet https://twitter.com/SultanAlQassemi/status/352467577571786753]


12:43 p.m.

David Kirkpatrick, Cairo Bureau Chief for The New York Times

[tweet https://twitter.com/kirkpatricknyt/status/352467695209422848%5D


12:37p.m.

Ahmad Shokr, Ph.D. candidate at New York University, on the scene in Cairo

[tweet https://twitter.com/ahmadshokr/status/352466164770799616%5D


12:27 p.m.

101 Sexual Assaults Reported in Tahrir Since Last Friday

In a nation plagued by high levels of sexual harassment, the ongoing demonstrations have been marred by sexual assaults on female protesters. Daily News Egypt finds that groups promoting human-rights and women rights reported 101 sexual assault cases in Tahrir Square, the heart of the protests, between last Friday and Tuesday.

But protesters are increasingly intervening, according to a statement from Operation Anti-Sexual Harassment. “We’re back to witnessing a bit of the true spirit of Tahrir Square and the revolution,” the statement says.

— Noah Rayman


12:21 p.m.

[tweet https://twitter.com/samshirazim/status/352461763574374400]


12:15 p.m.

Protesters against Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi in Tahrir Square in Cairo

Suhaib Salem / REUTERS

An aerial view shows protesters against Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi waving national flags in Tahrir Square on July 3, 2013.


12:06 p.m.

Gehad El-Haddad, spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood:

[tweet https://twitter.com/gelhaddad/status/352456306961027072%5D

Lauren Bohn, a freelance journalist and Fulbright scholar:

[tweet https://twitter.com/LaurenBohn/status/352457770127212545]


11:57 a.m.

[tweet https://twitter.com/AFP/status/352455139447156737]


11:51 a.m. In a stunning move, Essam el Haddad, Morsi’s foreign relations adviser, posted a letter in English on the office’s Facebook page:

“As I write these lines I am fully aware that these may be the last lines I get to post on this page.

For the sake of Egypt and for historical accuracy, let’s call what is happening by its real name: Military coup.

In the last year we have been castigated by foreign governments, foreign media, and rights groups whenever our reforms in the areas of rights and freedoms did not keep pace with the ambitions of some or adhere exactly to the forms used in other cultures. The silence of all of those voices with an impending military coup is hypocritical and that hypocrisy will not be lost on a large swathe of Egyptians, Arabs and Muslims.

Many have seen fit in these last months to lecture us on how democracy is more than just the ballot box. That may indeed be true. But what is definitely true is that there is no democracy without the ballot box.

Read the full statement here.


11:42 a.m.

Supporters of Mursi perform prayers during rally to show support to him at Raba El-Adwyia mosque square in Cairo

Khaled Abdullah / REUTERS

Supporters of Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi perform prayers during a rally to show support to him at the Raba El-Adwyia mosque square in Cairo July 3, 2013.


11:34 a.m. Morsi’s office released a statement on its Facebook page: “The Egyptian Presidency renews its adherence to the roadmap to which all national forces were invited for the sake of comprehensive national reconciliation which would meet the demands of people and accommodate all national, youth and political forces and which would defuse the political tension in Egypt now.

The Presidency affirms that overturning constitutional legitimacy threatens democracy by deviating from its right path, and threatens freedom of expression which Egypt enjoyed after the revolution. Legitimacy is the only guarantee for stability and confronting violence, vandalism, and breaking the law.

The Presidency’s vision includes the formation of a coalition government that would manage the upcoming Parliamentary electoral process, and the formation of an independent committee for constitutional amendments to submit to the upcoming parliament.”

Read the rest of the statement here.


11:27 a.m. Ahram Online: Egypt’s main index closed down 0.32 percent on Wednesday to sit at 4,971 points as early market losses slowed throughout the session. The main index dipped 1.7 percent at the beginning of the session in response to a Tuesday night speech by President Mohamed Morsi and bloody clashes at a protest site near Cairo University. “The speech was threatening, and made people expect further violent clashes,” Osama Mourad, an independent analyst and former chief executive of Arab Finance Brokerage, told Ahram Online.


11:21 a.m.

[tweet https://twitter.com/RichardEngel/status/352447009455759360]


11:12 a.m.

Egypt Protests Intensify As Army Deadline Approaches

Ed Giles / Getty Images

Supporters of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi clean up debris after violent clashes at Cairo University the previous night, on July 3 2013, in Cairo, Egypt. The Egyptian Health Ministry reported at least 16 people were killed overnight on July 2 in violent clashes between Pro-Morsi and Anti-Morsi protesters in the Cairo suburb of Giza.


10:53 a.m. [tweet https://twitter.com/AFP/status/352439858452627456]


10:21 a.m. Live stream of a packed Tahrir Square in Cairo on the Reuters homepage


9:53 a.m. AP: “The military beefed up its presence inside the mammoth headquarters of state television on the banks of the Nile River in central Cairo. Crack troops were deployed in news-production areas. Officers from the army’s media department moved inside the newsroom and were monitoring output, though not yet interfering, staffers said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk about the arrangements.”


8:32 a.m.

Egypt Protsts Intensify As Army Deadline Approaches

Spencer Platt / Getty Images

Thousands of Egyptian protesters begin to gather in Tahrir Square as the deadline given by the military to Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi approaches on July 3, 2013 in Cairo, Egypt.


7:58 a.m. “There was no way this could end well” — First sentence of Magdi Abdelhadi’s article for the Guardian about Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s speech last night and the military’s intervention as violence reigns.