Cairo Takes a Bloody Turn

Violence erupted in Cairo in the wee hours of Thursday morning, as three more anti-government protesters were killed. The Associated Press reported “sustained bursts of automatic weapons fire and powerful single shots,” while Al Jazeera reported “a few people … were dropping homemade bombs into [Tahrir] Square from the buildings surrounding it.” Dramatic live coverage has been broadcast on a number of outlets—AP Television News showed footage of two bodies being dragged from the scene, while MSNBC and Al Jareeza English both broadcast demonstrators—believed to be anti-government protesters—pull a man from a pickup truck and beat him severely. The U.S. embassy urged American citizens to evacuate. Meanwhile, the online hackers group “Anonymous” said they were successful in shutting down Egyptian government websites on Wednesday.