Egypt increases security ahead of rival rallies

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 06, 2013
Egypt increases security ahead of rival rallies

Cairo (dpa) - Egyptian authorities tightened security in and around Cairo Sunday ahead of rallies called by backers and opponents of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi, whom the army toppled in July.

   Soldiers were manning checkpoints on all access roads to the capital and outside key state institutions, local media reported.
   The police and army were toughening security in central Cairo's Tahrir Square, where Islamists and military supporters were planning their rival demonstrations later Sunday.
   Barbed wire and barricades blocked traffic to the square as security personnel were deployed with sniffer dogs outside the nearby National Museum.
   Metal detectors were also installed at entrances to Tahrir to prevent weapons from being smuggled into the square.