(CNN) -- Assailants targeted
protesters demonstrating against the exclusion of a presidential
candidate in Cairo early Wednesday, killing at least 11, medical sources
told CNN. At least 100 people were injured, said Hisham Shiha, the
deputy minister of health. It was unclear who the attackers were, but
they were not wearing uniforms, witnesses said.
Clashes
were ongoing Wednesday afternoon. There were fears of increased
violence as additional protesters marched from downtown to join the
other demonstrators. The military dispatched a unit to attempt to
restore calm. Protesters hurled rocks at the assailants, who responded
with a steady barrage of rocks and Molotov cocktails.
"Down with military rule!" the protesters chanted.
Protesters
camped outside the Ministry of Defense for a fourth day to voice their
anger about the disqualification of Islamist candidate Hazem Abu Ismael
from the presidential election set to start May 23. They also want to
disband the presidential election commission.
Abu
Ismael was disqualified because of evidence that his late mother had
U.S. citizenship, an assertion he has denied, prompting his followers to
protest the decision by the election commission.
A
day before the attacks, state TV broadcast videos showing protesters
chanting against the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which has
ruled Egypt since President Hosni Mubarak was forced from power last
year.
"Dozens
of military men dressed in plainclothes started pelting us with stones,
cement blocks, and fired tear gas from rifles, so they were obviously
security officers under cover," said Alaa Younis, who took part in the
sit-in with some friends.
"We
fought back with rocks until we noticed they escalated and fired
birdshot. Many of us took refuge at one of two field hospitals." Two
other presidential candidates announced Wednesday they were temporarily
suspending campaign activities because of the violence.
Leading
candidate Abdel Monein Aboul Fetftouh, an independent, said on his
Twitter account that lawmakers must push the interior minister to
investigate. The candidate for the Freedom and Justice Party, Mohamed
Mursi, said he is suspending his campaign for two days to "mourn the
souls of the martyrs" in the clashes, and blamed the military government
for what he called a "massacre."
A
government official denied reports that the military was involved.
"There were no riot police or military that tried to evict the sit-in by
force," said Gen. Marwan Mustapha, a spokesman for the Interior
Ministry. "We are not sure of the identities of the thugs that attacked
the peaceful protesters. The military only protects the vicinity of the
ministry and blocked some roads leading to it."
The
epicenter of the violence was around a mosque in Cairo, but clashes
continued in several streets. Residents formed neighborhood watches to
protect their streets as gunfire crackled for hours, according to
witnesses. The military blocked some highways leading to the ministry
and did not interfere in the fighting between protesters and the
unidentified attackers.
Clashes
have erupted in Egypt since an uprising led to the toppling of Mubarak
in February of last year, with protesters demanding the military leaders
who took over hand over power to a civilian administration. The latest
violence comes a few weeks before the presidential elections. About 10
of the 23 presidential contenders have been disqualified, the head of
the election committee said earlier this month.
The
May 23-24 vote will be the first presidential election since Mubarak's
ouster. It comes amid rising political tensions as officials work to
craft a new constitution and Egyptians await the June 2 verdict in
Mubarak's murder trial.
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