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Journalism of Courage
DAVID D KIRKPATRICK amp; KAREEM FAHIM
Egyptian soldiers fired on hundreds of supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi before dawn Monday as they were praying outside the facility where he was believed to be detained,dozens of witnesses said. Egypts military said armed assailants fired on the soldiers first.
At least 51 civilians were killed,all or most of them shot,and over 300 wounded,doctors and health officials said. Security officials said at least one police officer died as well.
The mass shooting was the deadliest single episode of violence since the 2011 revolution that toppled Hosni Mubarak,Egypts longtime autocratic leader. It immediately escalated the nearly week-old confrontation between the generals who forced out Morsi,Egypts first democratically elected president,and his Islamist supporters.
Will not cut off aid yet: white house
WASHINGTON: The White House on Monday said it is not in the best interests of the United States to immediately change its aid programme to Egypt. Spokesman Jay Carney said the US government will take the time it needs to determine whether or not to label the Egyptian militarys overthrow of the government as a coup,which would determine whether aid would continue. We do not believe it is in our interest to make a precipitous decision now,
Carney said. Reuters
In an early sign that the mass shooting had undercut important support for ouster of Morsi,the countrys top Muslim cleric,Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayyeb,threatened to go into seclusion until the violence ended.
The military said its soldiers had fired in response to an attack by gunmen from a terrorist group who had attempted to storm the facility,according to Ahram Online.
Dozens of Islamists who had gathered to hold a vigil for Morsi denied there was any provocation for the attack. Two bystanders who had supported Morsis ouster said the demonstrators were unarmed and ran in terror as the attack began.
Bullet holes in cars,lamp posts and corrugated metal barriers indicated that gunfire was coming from the top of a nearby building. Bullet casings on the ground and collected by Islamist demonstrators bore the stamp of the Army.
There were pools of blood on the pavement. Some of the blood and bullet holes were hundreds of yards from the walls of the facilitys guard house,suggesting that the soldiers continued firing as the demonstrators fled.
A witness said he and others carried the officers body out of his car. He did not have a head any more, he said.
A surgeon said he had seen similar scenes in the hospital only once: around January 25,2011,when Egyptians began their revolt against President Hosni Mubarak. This is worse, he said.
