Egypt's rulers accuse protest group of 'sowing sedition'

Cairo: Egypt’s military rulers have accused a major protest group of seeking to “sow sedition”.

“The April 6 Youth sought to sow this sedition, but it has failed due to the positive steps recently taken,” the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces said in a statement on its Facebook page early Saturday.

The army clashed with protesters in Egypt’s coastal city of Alexandria after they attacked the city’s military command on Friday.

The military police detained some protesters, according to local media. In its statement, the military council denied using violence to quell protests and called on the Egyptians to be aware of “suspicious plots, seeking to destabilise the country”.

April 6 Youth was instrumental in a popular uprising that swept former president Hosni Mubarak from power in February. The group has been spearheading protests in Cairo and other Egyptian cities over the past two weeks against the military rulers’ perceived foot-dragging on prosecuting Mubarak and officials from the former regime.

Protests were staged on Friday in central Cairo and Alexandria to show anger at a new government, which opposition says it includes some members believed to be loyal to Mubarak.