CAIRO
Army troops beefed up security measures around vital institutions across Egypt ahead of planned Friday protests by supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi oppossing the military coup.
Armored vehicles have been deployed around foreign embassies and vital institutions in the capital Cairo.
The army also deployed armored vehicles at the entry points to the iconic Tahrir Square and the Rabaa al-Adawiya Square along with main roads in Cairo.
Security measures have also been tightened around the governor's office building, court compounds and oil companies in the canal city of Suez.
The National Alliance for the Defense of Legitimacy, a coalition of largely Islamist parties and figures supportive of Morsi, has called for 28 marches in Cairo and Giza after the Friday prayers.
In a statement on Thursday, the alliance said the marches are part of "Martyrs Friday."
"There are no plans for sit-ins or assemblies in any of the major squares so far," Magdi Salem, a senior figure of the alliance, told Anadolu Agency.
"We remain committed to peaceful protests."
Supporters have been staging almost daily protests since the powerful army ousted Morsi, the country's first democratically elected president, on July 3 following mass demonstrations against his regime.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
