Looters ransack Egyptian antiques museum

Egypt’s famous Malawi National Museum has been ransacked, looted and smashed up by vandals in another example of the recent unrest in the country.

Photos of the damaged artefacts and empty display cases were released this afternoon as supporters of deposed President Mohamed Morsi fought a gunbattle with security forces in a Cairo mosque.

According to a statement made by the Ministry of Antiquities, the museum, in the Upper Egyptian city of Minya, was allegedly broken into and some artifacts were damaged and stolen on Thursday evening.

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Break in: Damaged objects lie on the floor and in broken cases in the Malawi Antiquities Museum after it was ransacked and looted

Stolen: Some artifacts were damaged and stolen, according to a statement made by the Ministry of Antiquities

Blame: The ministry¿s official statement accords pro-Mursi supporters the blame for the break in

The ministry’s official statement accused Muslim Brotherhood supporters of breaking into the museum.

It not yet clear what is missing - a list is being compiled to ensure the artefacts are not smuggled out the country.

Meanwhile this afternoon armed police moved into n a Cairo mosque under seige, while Egypt's army-backed government, facing deepening chaos, considered banning his Muslim Brotherhood group.



Loss: 'It is a great loss and I am really saddened by what has happened to such a museum,' Minister of State of Antiquities Mohamed Ibrahim said


Ransacked: Rows of display cases are broken and empty at the Malawi Antiquities Museum


The ruins of the Evangelical Church of Malawi after it was ransacked, looted and burned on Thursday by an angry mob


Attack: In the province of Minya south of Cairo, protesters attacked two Christian churches, security officials said
Witnesses saw gunmen shoot from a window of the al-Fath mosque, where Brotherhood followers sheltered during ferocious confrontations in the heart of Cairo on Friday.

Another gunman was shown on television shooting from the mosque's minaret and soldiers outside returning fire.
It was not clear if anyone died in the latest clash - the fourth day of violence in Egypt, which has killed almost 800 people.

With anger rising on all sides, Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi proposed disbanding the Brotherhood, raising the stakes in a bloody struggle between the state and Islamists for control of the Arab world's most populous nation.
"We are not facing political divisions, we are facing a war being waged by extremists developing daily into terrorism," presidential political adviser Mostafa Hegazy told reporters.

If Beblawi's proposal to disband the Brotherhood is acted on, it would force the group underground and could herald large-scale arrests against its members placed outside the law.


Policemen stand guard inside a room of the al-Fath mosque


Waiting: Protesters supporting ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi wait inside al-Fath mosque, at Ramses Square in Cairo



Trouble: Witnesses say that Egyptian security forces have stormed the mosque after firing tear gas


Tense: Police officers stand guard at one of the doors to al-Fath mosque




Grim: A stretcher covered with a white blanket is carried out of al-Fateh mosque on Ramses Square, Cairo



Many Western allies have denounced the killings, including the United States, alarmed by the chaos in a country which has a strategic peace treaty with Israel and operates the Suez Canal, a major artery of world trade.

However, Saudi Arabia threw its weight behind the army-backed government on Friday, accusing its old foes in the Muslim Brotherhood of trying to destabilise Egypt.

The health ministry said 173 people died in clashes across Egypt on Friday, including 95 in central Cairo, after the Brotherhood called a "Day of Rage" to denounce a crackdown on its followers on Wednesday that killed at least 578 people.



Cordon: Egyptians security forces provide a cordon around the al-Fatah mosque



More than 50 people were killed a day earlier in violence across Egypt, according to security sources


Demonstrators in support of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi wait by the barricaded door inside


A pro-Morsi supporter is escroted from the mosque


Refuge: The siblings, who are on holiday in Egypt, sought refuge in the mosque after 80 people were killed during violent clashes between supporters of ousted president Mohammed Morsi and the security forces in Cairo yesterday



Clashes: An estimated 700 Morsi supporters took refuge in the mosque following clashes with security forces in the area