Supporters of former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi were reportedly shot and killed today trying to break into the military facility where the Islamist official has been placed in “preventative” detention by Egyptian military authorities. The army quickly denied reports that the demonstrators had been shot by Egyptian troops, emphasizing that the soldiers were armed only with blank rounds and tear gas, while reports of casualties ranged from one to three dead.

In another incident near Cairo, one man was killed and another seven injured in an attack on a police station in Cairo.

The protest outside the Cairo barracks came in the aftermath of the Muslim Brotherhood calling for mass national marches to show support for Morsi. The Brotherhood has doubled down and promised to continue mass demonstrations until Morsi is reinstated:

The leader of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Badie, told a protest rally on Friday that he was ready to reach an understanding with the armed forces – but only after the movement’s Mohamed Morsi was reinstated as president… He had earlier called for mass rallies to continue until the Brotherhood could carry Morsi “on our shoulders”. The ousted president has been in military custody since his overthrow on Wednesday… Thousands of Morsi supporters demonstrated in cities across the country on what his Muslim Brotherhood called a “Friday of rage” against what they describe as a military coup that toppled Egypt’s first elected leader a year after he took office.

Liberals and others opposed to Morsi’s rule, who last week organized mass protests that eventually led the army to oust the Islamist leader, called on Egyptian citizens to march in counter-demonstrations. Clashes between Morsi supporters and opponents began almost immediately after the army’s actions Wednesday, with in exchanges of fire that night in front of Cairo University killing at least 18 people injuring another 360. They continued through today.

Fears continue to deepen that the political clashes will not only escalate but take on sectarian dimensions. Violence near Luxor today saw a Copt attacked and injured after a Muslim man had been killed, while 23 homes belonging to Copts were reportedly burned to the ground.

[Photo: JewishNewsOne / Youtube]