The departure of Mubarak's family took place amid bloody riots by
thousands of protesters who appeared to adopt the model in Tunisia. The
protesters, organized by the April 6th Movement, hurled firebombs and rocks
toward anti-riot forces and attacked police and military vehicles in what
was regarded as the bloodiest unrest in Egypt.
"No agitating movement or protests will be allowed," the Egyptian
Interior Ministry said on Jan. 26.
Egypt's allies in the Arab world and West have expressed concern over
the stability of the Mubarak regime. The 82-year-old Mubarak has not ruled
out running again for president in elections scheduled for the fall of 2011.
"In Egypt, I really can't say where this is going to go," former Saudi
intelligence chief Prince Turki Al Faisal said. "Whether they can catch up
as leaders to what the population is aiming [for] is still to be seen."
A Western diplomatic source said Egyptian Defense Minister Hussein
Tantawi has arrived in Washington for secret meetings with the
administration of President Barack Obama. Egypt receives $1.3 billion in
annual U.S. military aid.
"He could be bringing a message from Mubarak or he could be cutting a
deal," the diplomatic source said.
Egyptian authorities have sought to quell the protests, also reported in
Alexandria, Assiyut, Mahala, Port Said, Suez and Tantan. Opposition sources
said authorities blocked both Twitter and Facebook starting on Jan. 25 amid
protests attended by 200,000 people. They said Suez, where a government
building was torched, has also come under curfew.
Twitter has been carrying messages for Mubarak to resign. So far, the
sources said, about 1,000 people have been arrested, many of them by
plainclothes officers who infiltrated the demonstrations. Several
journalists were said to have been arrested during their coverage of the
unrest.
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