"We are in the face of a plot to abort the revolution," hisspokesman Gamal Saber told the Al-Jazeera network on Friday.Violence appeared to have ensued when protesters tried to cutthrough barbed wire barricading them from troops blocking access tothe road that leads up to the ministry. Some protesters chanted"peaceful, peaceful" to deter fighting, but the clashes began aftertroops fired water cannons at protesters and hurled stones to keepthem from advancing. The protesters took shelter behind metal sheets snatched from anearby construction site and hurled back stones. Others climbed theroof of a nearby university and showered soldiers with rocks fromabove. The troops then opened up with heavy volleys of tear gasthat pushed the demonstrators back. Protesters sat fire to garbageto raise smoke to lessen the impact of the gas. Troops snatched one protester and beat him with metal sticks,tearing his clothes and leaving his back bloody a scene airedlive on state TV. Soldiers with body shield and red helmets alsowere seen carrying a soldier who collapsed with his nose bleeding. 296 injured, officials say After several hours, troops swept through the protesters' camp, settents on fire and drove them out of the area. Armored vehiclescordoned off several streets and occupied the main square andsurrounding areas, including a big mosque. At least two subwaystations were closed and military helicopters were seen circlingthe site of clashes. The Health Ministry said one soldier was killed and 296 people wereinjured. More than 170 were arrested by the military, according to asecurity official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because hewasn't authorized to release the information. Several journalists,including a Belgian photographer, also were detained or injured asthey were caught up in the chaos. Anger at the ruling military council, which took power afterMubarak's ouster, has risen across the political spectrum as thegenerals are accused of steering a messy transition, usingoppressive measures and maneuvering to maintain a degree of powereven after the presidential election and handover of authority. The Islamists have joined in after the disqualification of twoheavyweight Islamists, Abu Ismail and Muslim Brotherhood chiefstrategist Khairat el-Shater, whose group has been frustrated thatits domination of parliament where it holds nearly half theseats has not translated into political power. The generals promised Thursday to hand over power after one of the13 remaining candidates wins an outright victory, but they alsowarned against protests near the Defence Ministry and said soldiershave the right to defend their positions. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Prepainted Steel Coil Manufacturer , Galvanized Steel Profile Manufacturer for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Tin Plate Coil.
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