CAIRO — Egypt's interim president has given the prime minister the power to grant the military the right to arrest civilians after a weekend of violence between supporters of the country's deposed leader and security forces. Government officials say the decision could be a prelude to a major crackdown on Mohamed Morsi's supporters or militants who have stepped up attacks against security forces in the Sinai Peninsula. Adly Mansour's decree was published in the government's official gazette on Sunday. The death toll from clashes between Morsi supporters and security forces has risen to 72. Protesters calling for his reinstatement have vowed to continue a massive sit-in. Violence was reported in several towns early on Sunday, with two dead in separate incidents. The Sinai Peninsula also saw unrest, with security forces killing 10 militants and arresting 20 others, state news agency MENA said. Saturday's bloodshed drew international and domestic condemnation, including from Washington, a key backer of Egypt's army. Egypt's Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim, who has warned that pro-Morsi demonstrations would be dispersed “soon,” again sounded a firm line on Sunday. “We will not allow any mercenary or person bearing a grudge to try to disrupt the atmosphere of unity, and we will confront them with the greatest of force and firmness,” he said at a police graduation ceremony. And at the scene of Saturday's violence, where the health ministry said 72 people were killed, Morsi loyalists remained defiant, with several thousand camped out by the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque. “There are feelings of agony and anger, but also a very strong feeling of determination,” Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Gehad El-Haddad said. Sociology professor Khaled Khalil noted that former president Hosni Mubarak who was ousted by the January 2011 uprising “fell in a peaceful way.” “God willing, Sisi will fall in the same peaceful way,” he added of army chief General Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who led the coup that deposed Morsi. The violence early on Saturday was the bloodiest incident since Morsi's July 3 ouster. — Agencies
