Military personnel have not been deployed to secure the state broadcasting building in Cairo's Maspero district ahead of planned Friday demonstrations, Egyptian military spokesman Ahmed Ali announced Wednesday evening.
Quoted in Al-Ahram's Arabic-language news website, Ali explained that, ever since the suspension of Egypt's longstanding state of emergency last year, the interior ministry – rather than the military – has been responsible for securing the state broadcasting building.
The army, Ali added, would only intervene in the event of an "emergency" on direct orders of President Mohamed Morsi.
Police and Presidential Guard forces are already stationed in the Maspero district, where a wall has been erected around the state broadcasting building in anticipation of Friday's planned protests.
Since the eruption of Egypt's Tahrir Square uprising almost two years ago, the building has been the scene of numerous demonstrations. In October 2011, dozens of protesters were killed when the army forcefully dispersed a rally held to demand Coptic rights.
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