Update – Several Killed As Egypt Marks 4Th Revolution Anniversary

Eight people were reportedly killed on Sunday as Egyptian police dispersed several protests nationwide on the fourth anniversary of the uprising that ousted long-serving autocrat Hosni Mubarak.



Sources with the National Alliance for the Defense of Legitimacy, the main support bloc of ousted President Mohamed Morsi, said six protesters were killed when police moved in to break up pro-Mori marches in three provinces.



Yet, the Interior Ministry, which controls the country's police forces, said only two were killed in clashes with "gunmen" while two others killed when a bomb that they were carrying went off.



In a statement, the ministry said that a man was killed in a march by "gunmen" affiliated with Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood in Montazah district in the northern coastal city of Alexandria.



"March participants opened fire randomly with their machineguns, prompting security forces to engage, leading to the death of Hussein Mahmoud, 52," the ministry said in the statement.



In a separate statement, the ministry said another man was killed in Alexandria's Al-Awaid district when he, along with another,  "opened fire randomly to terrorize local residents, leaving one injured."



"Police forces acted accordingly, killing one of the attackers and arresting the other," it said in a statement.



A source with the pro-Morsi bloc confirmed the two deaths.



However, he said two protesters were killed when police attacked the marches.



Elsewhere, the Interior Ministry said that two "terrorists" were killed when a bomb that they were carrying went off in Al-Anani district the Nile Delta province of Beheira.



The alliance made no comment on that incident, but a source with the bloc said that two protesters were killed after police forces broke up a march in Housh Eissa town in the same province, an assertion that is yet to be confirmed by Egyptian authorities.



Another alliance source told The Anadolu Agency that two protesters were killed after being shot in the head when police dispersed marches in the eastern Cairo districts of Matariya and Ain Shams.



No police officials were available to comment on the assertion.



Sunday marks the fourth anniversary of Egypt's revolution that led to the ouster of longtime autocrat Mubarak.



Four years to Sunday, thousands of Egyptians took to the streets and eventually descended on Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo to protest police brutality.



With many protesters killed and wounded by security forces, the demonstrations soon developed into a full-fledged popular uprising nationwide that demanded regime change.



Mubarak had to step down on Feb. 11 of the same year under public pressure, handing over power to the military.



A transitional phase ended with the election of Morsi, Egypt's first democratically elected leader.



Morsi was removed by the military on July 3 of 2013 following mass demonstrations against his one-year rule.



His supporters, however, describe his removal as a military coup while others insist it was a popular military-backed uprising.



Thousands of Morsi supporters have since been killed or jailed amid a massive crackdown on dissent in general.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Kahire