Backers of Egypt's ousted President Mohamed Morsi are converging on Cairo from several provinces to take part in protests marking the anniversary of the 1973 victory over the Israeli army.
The National Alliance for the Defense of Legitimacy, Morsi's main support block, on Saturday called on Morsi's loyalists to head to Tahrir Square in the center of Cairo to protest against what they describe as the "military coup" against the ousted leader.
However, military-backed authorities have already occupied the iconic square due to "the ceremonies scheduled to take place… on the occasion of the anniversary of the October 6 War."
Anadolu Agency correspondent reported that Morsi's backers avoided to travel to Cairo in large groups, but rather travelled separately or in small groups to evade the security measures on the entry points to the capital.
A group of supporters of the ousted president has already set out from the Nile Delta province of Menoufiya on their way to Cairo. Muslim Brotherhood sources told AA that they would organize protests in the province as well.
Another group of Morsi supporters has left from Beni Sueif, south of Cairo.
"We have information that the authorities will prevent us from reaching Cairo, but we are determined to get there," a Muslim Brotherhood leader from the canal province of Suez, northeast of Cairo, told AA.
Security has already been beefed up across the capital, especially in the major squares, including Tahrir and Rabaa al-Adawiya, to thwart any attempt by the backers of the unseated president to occupy them as Egypt commemorates the 40th anniversary of the October 6 victory.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
