The Egyptian army moved into Cairo's Tahrir Square on Monday and cleared away a few hundred protesters who remained camped there after the main groups suspended a three-week demonstration held to advance demands for faster democratic reforms.
There was little sign of violence, though witnesses said some shots were fired in the air, as army vehicles and troops acted to end the public show of displeasure with the military high command handling a transition toward free elections.
The protest group April 6 said it objected to emptying the square by using force against protesters. The group shelved its sit-in on Sunday for the duration of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began on Monday.
Witnesses said some in the square were detained by military police, a move the cabinet described on its Facebook page as coming amid "cheers of support from citizens" who criticized those arrested as "thugs." The number of arrests was not known.
The army acted two days before the start of former President Hosni Mubarak's trial over his role in killing protesters during the uprising centered on Tahrir Square that toppled him on February 11. Demonstrators had been calling for a swift trial.
There was little sign of violence, though witnesses said some shots were fired in the air, as army vehicles and troops acted to end the public show of displeasure with the military high command handling a transition toward free elections.
The protest group April 6 said it objected to emptying the square by using force against protesters. The group shelved its sit-in on Sunday for the duration of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began on Monday.
Witnesses said some in the square were detained by military police, a move the cabinet described on its Facebook page as coming amid "cheers of support from citizens" who criticized those arrested as "thugs." The number of arrests was not known.
The army acted two days before the start of former President Hosni Mubarak's trial over his role in killing protesters during the uprising centered on Tahrir Square that toppled him on February 11. Demonstrators had been calling for a swift trial.
