Egypt’s Junta announce New Overnight Curfew

Egypt’s ruling military council said it will impose an overnight curfew on Saturday in the defense ministry district for a second successive night and ordered 300 people detained over deadly clashes between troops and anti-military protesters in Cairo.

The curfew will go into effect between 21:00 GMT on Saturday and 04:00 GMT on Sunday, the official said.

Military prosecutors, meanwhile, said the 300, including nine journalists, “will be held for 15 days pending investigation” into clashes in the Abbassiya district on Friday that left two people including a soldier dead and at least 300 injured. 

A security official confirmed the number and said more arrests could be made on Saturday.

After hours of questioning overnight, those held were accused of assaulting army officers and soldiers, assembling in a military zone and preventing members of the armed forces from carrying out their work, the source said.

They all denied the charges.

Friday saw fierce clashes between anti-military protesters and troops near the defense ministry.

The clashes erupted just three weeks ahead of Egypt’s first presidential elections since a popular uprising ousted president Hosni Mubarak last year, according to Alarabiya.