40 President Morsi supporters killed in Egyptian prison incident

AUG. 18, 2013

At least forty supporters of Egypt’s ousted president, Mohamed Morsi, have been killed in an incident at an Egyptian prison, security sources say.

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood has canceled demonstrations set to be held in the capital Cairo later in the day to prevent further bloodshed.

In a statement released on Sunday, the group said it had made the decision due to the security situation in the North African country.

Rallies were planned nationwide to demand the reinstatement of ousted president, Mohamed Morsi.

In Cairo, Morsi’s supporters were planning to head to the Supreme Constitutional Court building despite the tight security.

On the same day, Egyptian Defense Minister General Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi issued a statement saying, “We will not stand by silently watching the destruction of the country and the people or the torching [of] the nation and terrorizing the citizens.”

“We have given many chances … to end the crisis peacefully and call for the followers of the former regime to participate in rebuilding the democratic track and integrate in the political process,” the statement added.

Press