Egyptian demonstrators set fire to police station

Angry Egyptian protesters set fire to a police station in downtown Cairo on Friday evening, over the death of a driver allegedly killed while in police custody, witnesses said.

The incident began when Mohamed Said, a 40-year-old minibus driver, clashed with a police officer outside the Azbakeya police station and was taken inside.

After hearing about the death of Said later Friday evening, hundreds of people, including family members of the victim, gathered outside the station and used Molotov cocktails to set it on fire, accusing the police of torturing and killing the driver.

The police shot into the air to disperse the crowds, and the military also arrived at the scene.

Fire fighters put out the fire later, which hit parts of the police station and a police vehicle amid hundreds of people watching.

However, a controversial account from eyewitnesses said the driver attacked a police officer after a quarrel over parking violations and was beaten to death by the disagreeing public.

Egypt's Ministry of Health stated that ten people were injured during the clash between police and the angry mob, three of whom are still under treatment in hospital.

Security sources denied any physical abuse of the late driver and said he might have died due to low blood pressure.

The driver's body was transferred to the morgue for an autopsy and the Interior Ministry is still investigating the incident.

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