Sunday Times 2
Rival rallies for Egypt anniversary clouded by bombings
View(s):CAIRO, Jan 25 (AFP) -A spate of deadly bombings put Egyptian police on edge today as supporters and opponents of the military-installed government prepared rival rallies for the anniversary of the 2011 Arab Spring uprising.
Police officers inspect the site of a bomb attack in front of the damaged Cairo Security Directorate building, which includes police and state security, in downtown Cairo (REUTERS)
Hours before the rallies were due to start, residents of a north Cairo neighbourhood woke up to a small explosion outside a police training centre, a day after four blasts, including a car bombing outside police headquarters, killed six people.
An Al-Qaeda inspired group — Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, or Partisans of Jerusalem — claimed responsibility for the bombings, all of them targeting police, and urged ordinary Egyptian “Muslims” to stay away from police buildings.
Police deployed across the capital as supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, toppled by the military in July, readied counter-demonstrations to the commemorations called by the authorities.
The Islamists have announced more than a dozen planned marches from Cairo mosques for today to launch 18 days of protests.