FOXNews.com: 'FRIDAY OF ANGER' Egypt Braces for Violence As Brotherhood Calls Rally

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'FRIDAY OF ANGER' Egypt Braces for Violence As Brotherhood Calls Rally Aug 16th 2013, 14:50 Tens of thousands of Muslim Brotherhood supporters stormed the streets of Cairo Friday, some chanting "down with military rule!" as the embattled country braced for more protests over a crackdown on Islamists. Supporters of deposed Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi marched in several Cairo neighborhoods and other towns across the country, protesting a military-imposed state of emergency after massive bloodshed earlier this week. The protesters poured out of mosques after traditional mid-day prayers, responding to the Muslim Brotherhood's call for a "Day of Rage" as armored military vehicles sealed off main squares in the Egyptian capital and troops with machineguns stood at the ready on key junctions. Witnesses say tear gas was fired and shots rang out in a main Cairo square Friday, according to a Reuters report. State television reported that Egypt's army and police will deal firmly with any violation of the law, as security tightened around the country. The military is deploying to guard "vital installations, "according to the state media report. Reuters also reported that four protesters were killed in the Egyptian city of Ismailia Friday, in clashes with security forces, according to medical sources. At least 638 people were confirmed killed and nearly 4,000 wounded in the violence sparked when riot police backed by armored vehicles, snipers and bulldozers smashed the two sit-ins in Cairo where Morsi's supporters had been camped out for six weeks to demand his reinstatement. It was the deadliest day by far since the 2011 popular uprising that overthrew autocratic ruler Hosni Mubarak and plunged the country into more than two years of instability. The assault triggered running battles and deadly clashes between security forces and Morsi supporters elsewhere in Egypt, prompting the Interior Ministry to authorize the use of deadly force against anyone targeting police and state institutions. More than 40 policemen were also killed on Wednesday and dozens of churches were attacked as violence swept several provinces. Many of Morsi's supporters have voiced criticism at Egypt's Christian minority for largely supporting the military's decision to oust him from office. "We will push until we bring down this military coup," Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Gehad El-Haddad wrote on Twitter, according to Reuters. Egypt's government, in a statement, called the demonstrations "terrorist acts" and a "criminal plan to demolish the pillars of the Egyptian state," according to Reuters. The deadly crackdown drew widespread condemnation from the Muslim world and the West. President Obama canceled joint U.S.-Egypt military exercises scheduled for next month, although he gave no indication that the U.S. planned to cut off its $1.3 billion in annual military aid to the country. The U.S. administration has avoided declaring Morsi's ouster a coup, which would force it to suspend the military aid. "While we want to sustain our relationship with Egypt, our traditional cooperation cannot continue as usual when civilians are being killed in the streets and rights are being rolled back," the U.S. president said, speaking from his weeklong vacation in Massachusetts. Obama said he also ordered his national security team to "assess the actions taken by the interim government and further steps that we may take as necessary with respect to the U.S.-Egyptian relationship." Egypt's interim government issued a late night statement saying the country is facing "terrorist actions targeting government and vital institutions" by "violent militant groups." The statement expressed "sadness" for the killings of Egyptians and pledged to work on restoring law and order. The statement also warned that Obama's position "while it's not based on facts can empower the violent militant groups and encourage them in its anti-stability discourse." Egypt enjoys "full sovereignty and independence of its decision," the statement said. The biennial Bright Star maneuvers, long a centerpiece of the deep ties between the U.S. and Egyptian militaries, have not been held since 2009, as Egypt grappled with the fallout from the revolution that ousted Mubarak. Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, was elected president in 2012 during Egypt's first democratic elections. Also on Thursday, The United Nations Security Council called on both the Egyptian government and the Muslim Brotherhood to exercise "maximum restraint" and end the violence spreading across the country. Council members called for national reconciliation. Egypt, the Arab world's most populous nation, has been sharply polarized since the military removed Morsi from power on July 3, following days of mass protests against him and his Brotherhood group. Millions of Egyptians took to the streets to demand Morsi step down, accusing him of giving the Brotherhood undue influence and failing to implement vital reforms or bolster the ailing economy. But Morsi's supporters have remained defiant, demanding the coup be overturned. The international community has urged both sides in Egypt to show restraint and end the turmoil engulfing the nation. Morsi has been held at an undisclosed location. Other Brotherhood leaders, including several arrested Wednesday, have been charged with inciting violence or conspiring in the killing of protesters. The Brotherhood's political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party, said in a statement Friday that the group is not backing down and "will continue to mobilize people to take to the streets without resorting to violence and without vandalism." "The struggle to overthrow this illegitimate regime is an obligation, an Islamic, national, moral, and human obligation which we will not steer away from until justice and freedom prevail, and until repression is conquered," the statement said. Separately, the Brotherhood's supreme guide Mohammed Badie, wanted by police for allegedly inciting violence, warned in a statement Friday that removing Morsi was an attempt for the military to take over and establish a "dictatorship". The revolutionary and liberal groups that helped topple Morsi have largely stayed away from street rallying in recent weeks. Many Egyptians, while voicing concern over the scale of the police attacks this week, are supportive of the government's decision to the clear out of the Brotherhood-led sit-ins and protests, which blocked two main intersections in the capital and clogged traffic. The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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