Prime Minister Hesham Qandil made a surprise visit on Monday morning to the security forces stationed in the vicinity of Tahrir Square.
Qandil told security leaders to use force against those trying to attack facilities or break the law, according to a security source who attended the meeting.
Qandil said he will discuss with Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim, during the Cabinet meeting on Monday, plans to restore security to Cairo and other governorates around Egypt.
Police showed the prime minister a number of suspects whom they described as “thugs” and said they were caught during clashes in possession of weapons and large sums of money.
Meanwhile, an uneasy calm settled over Tahrir Square after violent clashes earlier Monday morning. Qasr al-Aini, Sheikh Rihan and Youssef al-Guindy Streets were also calm Monday morning.
However, a group of masked men earlier on Monday had fired birdshot at Central Security Forces stationed on the Qasr al-Nil Bridge, injuring one conscript and prompting the forces to use tear gas to disperse them. During the clashes, a passer-by in Tahrir was killed after being shot in the chest.
The protesters fled onto side streets as dozens of them fell to the ground from the gas. The ambulances stationed in Tahrir Square rushed to transport the victims to hospitals and give them first aid.
The tear gas also seeped into the Sadat metro station in Tahrir. Several passengers suffered breathing problems.
Hilal Hospital received a number of injured protesters and conscripts. Some of the conscripts suffered birdshot wounds to the face, feet and different parts of the body. Most of the injured victims were discharged from the hospital after receiving treatment.
Another protester suffered three gunshot wounds, one of them in the head, and was transported to Hilal Hospital, where they were in critical condition.
Meanwhile, police and army forces built a new wall on Qasr al-Aini to prevent protesters from reaching the Shura Council.
As a result, the House of Representatives and the Shura Council have two walls on both sides, leaving them accessible only from side streets near the Interior Ministry or from Rostom Street in Garden City, where security forces maintain a tight presence.
