ALEXANDRIA (AA) - At least 37 people were injured on Friday while taking part in pro-democracy protests in Egypt's coastal city of Alexandria, according to a coalition of Islamist groups calling for the reinstatement of ousted President Mohamed Morsi.
In a statement, the National Alliance for the Defense of Legitimacy said that some of those injured had been run over by a military vehicle -- a claim denied by an official security source.
Video footage that went viral on social media on Friday showed a military vehicle flying towards a crowd of panicking pro-democracy demonstrators. The video, however, did not show whether the vehicle had actually struck any protesters.
"Naval forces associated with pro-coup militias targeted protesters in Alexandria with vehicles and live ammunition, leaving 37 protesters injured, including four in critical condition," the statement read.
While the statement did not provide an exact number for those injured in the alleged incident, a source with the pro-Morsi alliance said at least 15 people had been hit by the vehicle.
The coalition said that 12 pro-democracy protesters had been arrested by security forces.
An official Alexandria security source rejected the allegations as "sheer lies".
He also said that four Muslim Brotherhood members had been arrested when security forces moved in to disperse the protest. A medical source also said that no injuries had been reported on Friday.
Earlier Friday, eyewitnesses said that a pro-democracy protester had been killed near Rabaa al-Adawiya Square in eastern Cairo.
The slain protester, identified by the Muslim Brotherhood's official website as Belal Ali Gaber, was shot in the neck when security forces attempted to disperse a protest in the Nasr City neighborhood, eyewitnesses said.
While witnesses could not identify the source of the lethal shot, the Brotherhood's website accused "coup forces" of killing the young man.
Demonstrators had attempted to enter Rabaa al-Adawiya Square, the site of a six-week-long sit-in by Morsi supporters that was brutally crushed by security forces in August, killing hundreds.
Morsi supporters staged fresh rallies on Friday to demand an end to what they call the July 3 military coup against the country's first freely elected leader by Egypt's powerful military establishment.
For the past 101 days, pro-Morsi demonstrators have staged marches and protests countrywide to demand the ousted president's reinstatement.
Friday's rallies came shortly after the National Alliance for the Defense of Legitimacy dropped calls to demonstrate in Cairo's flashpoint Tahrir Square.
The coalition said the decision had come in response to calls by intellectuals and political figures to avoid demonstrations in main public squares in hopes of avoiding further bloodshed.
