Egyptian President Morsi toppled, arrested, people celebrate

Photo: AP photo

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, who was toppled as a result of a military coup in the country, was taken into custody. Morsi reportedly stays on a military base. Several high-ranking officials were also arrested.

Representatives of Muslim Brotherhood told the BBC that a military coup was in full swing in the country. The head of the Ministry of Defense of Egypt Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said that Morsi was deposed for not justifying expectations of the people of Egypt. The action of the Constitution of Egypt was suspended in connection with the coup.

On Wednesday evening, the Egyptian military deposed the country's first democratically elected president. The unrest continued against the background of such events. Several people have been reportedly killed and over 350 were injured as a result of the riots.

Thousands of Egyptians did not go home last night. Violent clashes between opponents and supporters of Morsi took place in several areas. Reportedly, 14 were killed, 8 of them were killed in the Mediterranean city of Mersa Matrouh, 240 kilometers west of Alexandria, Al Jazeera reports. More than 340 people were injured across the whole country, CNN said.

According to The Daily Mail, the death toll during the night of the coup in Egypt rose to 23; over 200 people were injured. As many as 91 women were subjected to sexual assault in Tahrir Square in Cairo during four days of protests, the newspaper said. On July 2^nd many news agencies reported about the gang rape of a 22-year-old journalist from the Netherlands. The woman was hospitalized in serious condition and underwent surgery.

In Cairo, the crowd did not leave the streets on Thursday morning. About 2,000 people were still staying near Al Ittihad presidential palace. Two military helicopters were circling over the territory of the complex, while the demonstrators were chanting: "The army and the people are one!" In the Egyptian capital and other cities, Morsi's opponents were celebrating the whole night, dancing and singing along with police officers and military men.

The Egyptian opposition, represented by several political groups and numerous youth movements, accused Morsi of the "Islamization" of the country. They were dissatisfied with the fact that the Muslim Brotherhood monopolized power in the country. They also accused Morsi of not keeping any of his pre-election promises. Egypt has plunged deeper into the economic and political crisis during one year of Morsi's presidency, they claimed.

Having deprived Morsi of his powers, the authorities ordered the arrest about 300 members of the Muslim Brotherhood.  Several Islamist television channels - Egypt-25, Hafez and Al-Nas stopped broadcasting.