7 killed, 244 wounded in Egypt clashes

At least seven people have been killed and 244 others injured in clashes between supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi and his opponents in several governorates. Unknown gunmen opened fire at a pro-Morsi rally en route to Giza Square late Monday to disperse the crowd and prevent people from continuing their march to their destination. After the attack, the Morsi supporters decided to return back to Nahda Square, where they have been campaign out for the past 22 days to protest the army’s ouster of the elected president. But they were fired on by unknown gunmen. Eyewitnesses said that the second attack coincided with the advance of six police armored vehicles and the intensive firing of tear gas inside the original sit-in, while the gunmen fired live ammunition and birdshots. Three Morsi supporters were killed and 37 others injured by gunshots and birdshots, according to the field hospital. Gun firing stopped for two hours before it started again from the direction of Giza Square. Four pro-Morsi supporters were killed and 3 others injured, medical sources told AA. In downtown Cairo near the iconic Tahrir Square, one person was killed and 23 others were wounded in clashes between Morsi supporters and opponents. The young man died of a gunshot in the chest, according to a security source.

Meanwhile, two people were killed and seven injured in clashes between Morsi supporters and opponents in Qalyubia, north of Cairo. A Health Ministry official said Mohamed Yehia, 18, and Sobhi Abdel-Nabi, 18, both died of gunshots. Morsi, Egypt's first democratically elected president, was ousted by the army on July 3 following mass protests against his regime. The military also suspended the constitution and installed Adly Mansour, the head of the constitutional court, as interim president.

Morsi supporters have since been organizing mass demonstrations and sit-ins nationwide to defend his democratic legitimacy and demand his reinstatement.

The National Alliance for the Defense of Legitimacy, a coalition of largely Islamist parties and groups including the Muslim Brotherhood, organized mass protests on Monday in support of the ousted president.