Egypt Protests: At Least 1 Dead In Clashes During Demonstrations

Another Day Of Protests Leaves 1 Dead In Egypt
A supporter of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi holds a flare and chants slogans against the army during a protest in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Oct. 11, 2013. Supporters of ousted president Mohammed Morsi are holding scattered protests across Egypt, calling off a planned rally at Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square almost a week after bloody clashes left nearly 60 dead. Thousands of Morsi supporters took to the streets Friday in several cities, commemorating 100 days since Egypt's first democratically elected president was ousted by the military following mass protests calling for his resignation. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
A supporter of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi holds a flare and chants slogans against the army during a protest in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Oct. 11, 2013. Supporters of ousted president Mohammed Morsi are holding scattered protests across Egypt, calling off a planned rally at Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square almost a week after bloody clashes left nearly 60 dead. Thousands of Morsi supporters took to the streets Friday in several cities, commemorating 100 days since Egypt's first democratically elected president was ousted by the military following mass protests calling for his resignation. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

CAIRO, Oct 11 (Reuters) - One person was killed in clashes during protests in Egypt on Friday, state news agency MENA reported, as Islamists pressed on with demonstrations against the army-backed government.

MENA quoted an ambulance service as saying the death occurred in the Nile Delta province of Sharqia.

Earlier, police fired teargas in the coastal city of Alexandria to break up clashes between opponents and supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, security sources said.

Egypt has been thrown into turmoil by the military's ouster of Morsi on July 3 after mass protests against his rule, a move that prompted his Muslim Brotherhood movement to organize daily demonstrations in cities across the country.

Thousands of Morsi's supporters protested on Friday in the capital Cairo, the second biggest city Alexandria and other coastal and Nile Delta towns, the security sources said.

Smaller clashes also broke out in the coastal city of Damietta, where one Morsi supporter was injured.

On Aug. 14, Egyptian security forces broke up the two main pro-Morsi sit-ins in Cairo and killed hundreds of civilians.

The government then declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew. Thousands of Brotherhood members, including Morsi himself, have been arrested.

Around 57 people were killed in clashes between Morsi's supporters and opponents last Sunday, one of the bloodiest days since the army seized power.

While the military intervention has the support of most Egyptians, the international community, and many Islamists in Egypt, have looked on with alarm as the army and police crack down hard on Morsi and his backers.

The United States, an ally of Egypt that has long supported its military with cash and equipment, said on Wednesday it would withhold deliveries of tanks, fighter aircraft, helicopters and missiles to Cairo, as well as $260 million in aid.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had said Washington would consider resuming some of the aid "on a basis of performance" as the interim government seeks to implement a plan to lead the country to fresh elections next year.

Egypt criticised the decision, saying it found it strange at a time when the country was "facing a war against terrorism".

However, the U.S. State Department said it would continue military support for counter terrorism and security in the Sinai Peninsula, which borders U.S. ally Israel.

Egypt has been fighting an Islamist insurgency in the largely lawless region, which is also near the Palestinian Gaza strip. Sinai-based militants have intensified their attacks on military and police units since Morsi's ouster.

Six soldiers were wounded on Friday when a bomb exploded near army vehicles in Rafah city, northern Sinai, according to state media. Around 150 security personnel have died in Sinai's insurgency since Morsi was toppled, according to an army source.

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