海角大神

Egyptian security services opened fire on supporters of deposed President Mohamed Morsi during early morning worship today, killing 51 people in less than 30 minutes and plunging the polarized nation deeper into crisis. The spasm of violence marked the bloodiest incident in a week of nationwide unrest that has followed Mr. Morsi's ouster.

The Egyptian military has defended opening fire as an act of protection, risking an even greater backlash from Islamist supporters who already feel deeply aggrieved at the Army's role in last week's coup.

Eyewitnesses reported that both police and military forces opened fire on a crowd of the president's supporters as they prayed outside a military facility.聽In addition to the聽51 people killed,聽more than聽430聽were聽wounded, according to the Egyptian Health Ministry.

The protesters have been聽staging a聽sit-in outside the Republican Guard Officers Club since聽Friday, after Army officers shot and killed three during demonstrations supporting Morsi. Many of those gathered outside believed that the former president was being held in the facility.

In response to what it described as a "massacre," the Islamist Freedom and Justice Party聽issued a statement calling for "an uprising by the great people of Egypt against those trying to steal the revolution with tanks" 鈥撀燼 reference to the Egyptian military, who last week ousted the Islamists' democratically elected president.

Empty bullet cartridges that protesters retrieved from the scene suggested that the weapons belonged to the Egyptian military. An independent munitions expert, Nic Jenzen Jones, confirmed that they were Egyptian military issue after seeing photographs of the bullets.聽

Those in the聽crowd reported that troops opened fire on worshipers as they lay prostrate on the ground聽during morning prayer. Although it remains unclear who initiated the clash, one eyewitness on the聽pro-Morsi side said the firing聽began聽after聽a聽soldier was shot.聽The origin of that bullet remains unknown.

The soldiers reportedly fired tear gas and warning shots into the air, and, shortly after, opened fire on the crowd.

"I was on the security team so I prayed five minutes before everyone else. When I finished, they opened fire," says Yehia Youssef, who had been camping outside the military facility in support of Morsi.聽"So many fell."聽

Egypt's Health Ministry has confirmed that women and children were among the dead.

Pro-Morsi demonstrators have been camped in three locations across聽Cairo聽since the president's ouster.聽Carrying banners emblazoned with聽Morsi's聽face, they say they will not leave until he has been released.聽Many demonstrators say that they lost their only reward from Egypt's January 2011 revolution: a democratically elected president.聽

"We were out on the street to defend legitimacy,"聽says聽Essam Yehia, a聽young聽doctor working inside a makeshift hospital聽where casualties were brought all morning.聽"But then the Army shot us in broad daylight." The young doctor said that the facility was struggling to cope with the influx of聽injured patients.聽

In the days running up to聽the coup, millions of Egyptians聽took聽to the streets to denounce his record in office聽and call for his resignation. Opponents聽say聽he failed to fulfill the promises of their revolution, doing little聽to聽avert Egypt's economic nose dive or to reform the hated security services.聽

The Egyptian Armed Forces said that this morning's shootings took place after聽"armed terrorists" stormed the聽military facility, leaving one officer dead. Although eyewitnesses at the scene confirmed that one soldier had died, the Army's claim that the facility聽was first聽stormed remains uncorroborated.聽

In a press conference, military spokesman Ahmed Ali offered his condolences to the Egyptian people, but defended the killings by saying that "every country would allow soldiers to protect a military installation."

"We have been on the streets protecting citizens for 10 days," he said. "It is our duty to protect you."