Tahrir Square and the vicinity of the Ittihadiya presidential palace in Cairo will be closed to traffic until Monday, state news agency MENA reported. 

 

A military source told MENA late on Friday that Tahrir Square, in downtown Cairo, and Ittihadiya, in the Heliopolis district, will be closed "for the celebrations planned in public squares on the 6 October War anniversary [on Sunday]."

 

Meanwhile, the army has been deployed heavily in these areas to secure them. 

 

Four people were killed on Friday when clashes erupted between loyalists of deposed president Mohamed Morsi and their opponents in Cairo. 

 

Muslim Brotherhood supporters have staged several protests this week, but failed to reach key locations such as Tahrir Square and the Ittihadiya presidential palace because of stiff opposition from security forces and local residents.

 

The army and the police have closed off Tahrir Square several times in recent weeks to prevent protesters from reaching the square. As an additional security measure, the Sadat metro station located in Tahrir Square has been closed since 14 August, when security forces violently dispersed two large Islamist sit-ins in Cairo. 

 

The army is planning public celebrations to mark the 40th anniversary of the Egyptian victory in the October War of 1973 this Sunday. Islamists are anticipated to take to the streets in opposition.