Islamists across Egypt protest military coup

16-year-old killed by bullet to the chest during clashes in Alexandria

CAIRO (AP) — Several thousand supporters of Egypt’s ousted president rallied Friday as security forces deployed extra police officers and soldiers for the first weekend since a curfew across much of the country ended.

Clashes between supporters of toppled leader Mohammed Morsi and residents in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria killed a 16-year-old boy, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. It said Ihab Selim suffered a gunshot wound to the chest in the fighting and it was unclear who fired the shot.

The statement said police arrested seven Morsi supporters over the clashes.

Morsi supporters also protested at the presidential palace in Cairo. Protesters shot off fireworks and chanted slogans against the military. At one point, the crowd shouted: “This time is for real, we are not going to leave it for anybody.”

“We are protesting every day and our demands are the same,” protester Sayed Mohammed said.

The military overthrew Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood-backed government in a popularly supported coup on July 3. Supporters held near-daily protests since, with some demonstrations ending in bloody clashes with security forces or opponents.

Friday’s planned protests largely fizzled out with fewer participants. In the recent weeks, the numbers of protesters have fallen sharply as authorities have arrested hundreds of Brotherhood leaders and rank-and-file members.

This Friday marked the first weekend since the end of emergency rule in the country, following an Aug. 14 security force crackdown on camps of Morsi supporters in Cairo that killed more than 600 people and sparked days of unrest. A curfew over much of the country ended with it.

Worried about potential unrest from the curfew ending, authorities deployed extra police officers and soldiers to the streets. They also positioned armored personnel carriers at some major squares.