Security forces storm protester-held Egypt mosque

Egyptians Army forces stand guard outside the al-Fatah mosque in downtown Cairo, Egypt on Saturday, Aug. 17 after hundreds of Islamist protesters barricaded themselves inside the mosque overnight. (AP Photo/Hussein Tallal)
Egyptians Army forces stand guard outside the al-Fatah mosque in downtown Cairo, Egypt on Saturday, Aug. 17 after hundreds of Islamist protesters barricaded themselves inside the mosque overnight. (AP Photo/Hussein Tallal)

CAIRO — Egyptian security forces stormed a Cairo mosque Saturday after shooting at armed men firing down from a minaret, rounding up hundreds of supporters of the country's ousted president who hid there overnight after violent clashes killed 173 people.

Security officials said officers raided the Ramses Square mosque out of fears the Muslim Brotherhood again planned to set up a sit-in similar to those broken up Wednesday in assaults that killed hundreds of people.

The Egyptian government meanwhile announced it had begun deliberations on whether to ban the Brotherhood, a long-outlawed organization that swept to power in the country's first democratic elections a year ago.

Upcoming Events