Ousting Morsi?: Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians gathered June 30 to protest Morsi. Image by Getty Images

Anti-government protesters set the national headquarters of the ruling Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo ablaze on Sunday, throwing petrol bombs and exchanging gunfire with guards.

The attack came amid protests across Egypt calling for President Mohamed Mursi of the Brotherhood to resign, in which hundreds of thousands demonstrated on the first anniversary of his inauguration.

Brotherhood spokesman Gehad El-Haddad said he was in contact by telephone with staff at the compound on a rocky plateau overlooking Cairo, who told him its fortified perimeter had not been penetrated. A Reuters journalist saw flames licking out of upper-storey windows.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Hundreds of anti-Mursi protesters gathered outside, kept back by shotgun blasts from inside the compound, continued to hurl flares and rocks. No police were present. Some protesters were taken away with wounds from birdshot.

Several provincial offices of the Islamist movement have been attacked in recent days, including others on Sunday.

Two men including an American bystander were killed when the Brotherhood’s office in Alexandria was attacked on Friday and dozens were wounded. The office was torched and ransacked.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount