More clashes in Cairo as death toll in Egyptian soccer riot rises to 31 - CNN International

By Reza Sayah and Amir Ahmed, CNN

updated 4:04 AM EST, Sun January 27, 2013

Clashes in Egypt after court sentencing

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The health ministry puts the casualties at 31 dead, more than 300 wounded
The roads in and out of Port Said have been closed
Security forces are trying to retake a police station and other buildings, state-run media says
Clashes between anti-government protesters and police are underway in Cairo, officials say

Cairo (CNN) -- Egypt struggled Sunday to retake control of a vital northeastern port city after a riot broke out following news that 21 people had been sentenced to death for their roles in last year's deadly clashes at a soccer match at the Port Said stadium.

The riot in Port Said follows other violence, which was tied more to unrest over Egypt's current leadership. They are nonetheless symptomatic of instability and insecurity two years after longtime President Hosni Mubarak was ousted.

By early Sunday morning, the death toll in Port Said climbed to 31, according to Dr. Ahmed Omar, a health ministry spokesman, who spoke to state-run EGYNews.

At least 322 were injured, including 61 who remained hospitalized, he said.

Security forces closed roads in and out of Port Said, which sits along the Mediterranean Sea at the northern entrance of the Suez Canal.

They were also fighting to take back a police station and other government buildings that were either looted and burned or taken over by rioters, according to state media reports.

The violence began Saturday outside a prison after relatives of those convicted clashed with police and prison guards, the head of Port Said hospitals told state-run Nile TV.

Some of the defendants' relatives tried to storm the Port Said prison to free their loved ones being held inside, interior ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Osama Ismail told Nile TV.

A deadly match

They were angry because 21 of their relatives had just been sentenced to death for their role in a February 1, 2012, riot that occurred at the close of a match between Cairo's prestigious Al-Ahly football club and the host Al-Masry team.

When the riot was over at the stadium, 73 people were dead and more than 1,000 wounded.

Egypt's general prosecutor charged 75 people with premeditated murder and attempted murder, while three Al-Masry officials and nine police officers were charged with "assisting the murderers."

According to the prosecutor's office, those charged with assisting knew about the assault ahead of time, didn't confiscate weapons in advance, didn't stop them and -- in the case of an electricity engineer who was charged -- turned off the lights directly over the bleachers where the Al-Ahly fans were sitting right after the visiting team wrapped up its 3-1 victory.

Fans from both sides bashed each other with rocks and chairs, yet prosecutors claimed the Port Said supporters were also armed with knives and other weapons.

Many died after falling from bleachers inside the stadium, while others suffocated.

Clashes enter 3rd day

As security forces tried to regain control of the streets in Port Said, clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces in Cairo entered its third day.

Police and soldiers used tear gas to quell a sometimes violent demonstration near Cairo's Tahrir Square -- the symbolic center of Egypt's revolution. Demonstrators threw rocks and burned tires and boxes, according to state-run Ahram newspaper.

The protests in Cairo, Alexandria, Suez and elsewhere in recent days have focused their anger at current President Mohamed Morsy.

The former Muslim Brotherhood leader, who became Egypt's first democratically elected leader last year, has come under fire by some who compared him to Mubarak and said he amassed power for himself and his Islamist allies. He has insisted his moves were necessary to move Egypt forward in the face of pressing issues and persistent obstacles.

On Friday -- the anniversary of what some call the January 25 Revolution -- six people were killed in Suez and one in Ismailia, amid clashes involving anti-government protesters and those supportive of Morsy, as well as police. Hundreds more were injured in the unrest nationwide.

Journalist Ramy Francis and CNN's Reza Sayah reported from Cairo; CNN's Amir Ahmed reported Atlanta. CNN's Chelsea J. Carter contributed to this report.

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