One dead, 150 protesters arrested in Egypt

One man was killed and nearly 150 pro-Islamist protesters were arrested as clashes erupted across Egypt on Friday, after authorities outlawed rallies by the Muslim Brotherhood, now designated a terrorist group.

Riot police fired teargas at stone-throwing protesters in several cities, swiftly clamping down on rallies after the midday Friday prayers, the usual time for demonstrations.

The military-installed government has banned protests by Brotherhood members demanding the reinstatement of deposed president Mohammed Mursi, after listing the movement as a terrorist organisation on Wednesday.

One person was shot dead in clashes in the city of Samalut in Minya province, south of Cairo, a hospital administrator said.

Interior ministry spokesman Hany Abdel Latif said police were investigating the man’s death, adding that an officer was also wounded in clashes with protesters in the province.

He accused the protesters of using firearms and petrol bombs.

Smoke rose from Al Azhar university’s student dormitory in Cairo as police fired teargas against protesters pelting them with rocks from inside the building.

A security official said protesters torched several police cars in Cairo and in Minya province.

The drastic decision to blacklist the Brotherhood came a day after a suicide bombing of a police building killed 15 people.

The government blamed the attack on the Brotherhood despite a claim of responsibility from a Sinai-based militant group.

Tensions rose even further after a home-made bomb exploded next to a bus on Thursday, wounding five people.

Police seemed intent on hunting down any suspected protesters on Friday, with more than a dozen armoured vehicles racing to a Cairo mosque after they received reports of Brotherhood members gathering there.

Officers combed nearby buildings searching for suspects and dragged two men out of a car, one of them with a beard.

Police also clashed with protesters in the Suez Canal city of Ismailiya, while state media reported that police fired teargas at other protesters in the capital.

The interior ministry overnight said a man was killed in clashes around Al Azhar University between students and civilians who oppose them.

The Brotherhood, which condemned Tuesday’s suicide bombing, has denounced its listing as a terrorist organisation and vowed to continue staging peaceful rallies.

The Brotherhood’s designation as a terrorist group carries harsh penalties, with the group’s leaders facing possible death sentences and protesters looking at up to five years in prison.

The move caps a dramatic fall for the Brotherhood since Mursi’s ouster amid massive protests demanding his resignation following a year of deepening polarisation and plummeting economic conditions.