Easy.. Obama-Backed Muslim Brotherhood President Overthrown In Egypt
Be careful what you ask for.
Obama-Backed Muslim Brotherhood President Overthrown In Egypt
Published July 3, 2013
Egyptian Military Ousts President Morsi
Egypt's top military commander says the army is now in full control of the country and President Mohammed Morsi has been replaced by the chief justice of the constitutional court as the interim head of state.
He made the announcements in a Wednesday night speech -- the latest twists in an all-out power struggle inside Egypt that Morsi's national security adviser is describing as a military coup.
Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said Morsi has failed to meet the demands of Egypt's people and the country's constitution has been temporarily suspended.
Fireworks erupted in Tahrir Square after the announcement was made.
Egypt's top military commander announced Wednesday President Mohammed Morsi had been ousted and replaced by the chief justice of the constitutional court as the interim head of state.
In addition, Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said the country's constitution has been temporarily suspended and new elections would be held.
In Washington, President Obama issued a statement Wednesday night saying the administration was "deeply concerned" by the decision to remove Morsi and urged the military to avoid "any arbitrary arrests" of the president and his supporters.
Obama also said in light of Morsi's ouster he had "directed the relevant departments and agencies to review the implications under U.S. law for our assistance to the government of Egypt."
At the same time, a security official in Cairo said the head of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood political party and the organization's deputy chief had been arrested, reportedly in connection with an escape from prison in 2011.
The state-run newspaper Al-Ahram said arrest warrants were being issued for 300 members of the Brotherhood, Reuters reported.
Millions of anti-Morsi protesters in Tahrir Square and around the country erupted in cheers at the news of Morsi's ouster, setting off fireworks and shouting "God is great" and "Long live Egypt."
Morsi, whose whereabouts were not immediately known, said on his presidential Facebook page that the military's action "represents a military coup and it is unacceptable."
An aide said Morsi, who spent the day working in his office, had been moved to an undisclosed location.
In Washington, a U.S. official said nonessential diplomats and embassy families had been ordered to leave Egypt amid the unrest. The State Department issued a warning urging U.S. citizens in the country to leave.
In appointing Adli Mansour the new interim leader, el-Sissi also said a government of technocrats would be formed with "full powers" to run the country. He did not specify how long the transition period would last or when new elections might be held.
Top military officials and opposition leaders met Wednesday and agreed on a political roadmap for the country's future, el-Sissi said. A new presidential cabinet will be formed as well as a national reconciliation committee, which will include youth movements that have been behind anti-Morsi demonstrations.
El-Sissi also warned said the military would deal "decisively" with any violence sparked by the announcements.
Before el-Sissi's address, Egyptian troops, including commandos in full combat gear, were deployed across much of Cairo, including at key facilities, on bridges over the Nile River and at major intersections.
Witnesses told Reuters that the army erected barbed wire and barriers around Morsi's work compound, and moved in vehicles and troops to prevent supporters from getting to his palace.
A travel ban was put on Morsi and the head of his Muslim Brotherhood, Mohammed Badie, as well as Badie's deputy Khairat el-Shater, officials told the Associated Press.
Minutes before the military’s deadline for Morsi to resolve the nation’s political crisis passed Wednesday afternoon, the embattled leader called for "national reconciliation," but vowed he would never step down.
Millions were in the main squares of major cities nationwide, demanding Morsi's removal, in the fourth day of the biggest anti-government rallies the country has seen, surpassing even those in the uprising that ousted against his autocratic predecessor Hosni Mubarak. Critics say Morsi set the nation on a path toward Islamic rule.
Khaled Daoud, spokesman of the main opposition National Salvation Front, which pro-reform leader Mohamed ElBaradei leads, said that ElBaradei, Sheik Ahmed el-Tayeb, grand imam of Al-Azharmosque, and Pope Tawadros II, patriarch of Egypt's Coptic Christian minority, were part of the Wednesday meetings with military leaders.
Employees at Egypt's state TV station said military officers were present in the newsroom monitoring its output, but not interfering with their work.
In an emotional 46-minute speech late Tuesday, Morsi vowed not to step down and pledged to defend his constitutional legitimacy with his life in the face of three days of massive street demonstrations calling for his ouster.
The Islamist leader accused Mubarak loyalists of exploiting the wave of protests to topple his regime and thwart democracy.
"There is no substitute for legitimacy," said Morsi, at times angrily raising his voice, thrusting his fist in the air and pounding the podium. He warned that electoral and constitutional legitimacy "is the only guarantee against violence."