'More than 50 killed' in Cairo as army surrounds mosque

Television pictures show the Cairo office of the Red Crescent on fire More than 50 people were killed in clashes between Egyptian security forces and supporters of ousted president Mohammed Morsi in Cairo's Ramses Square on Friday. Although the official death toll is disputed, Reuters said 51 people were killed in the violence, with broadcaster al-Jazeera putting that figure at 94. Muslim Brotherhood supporters accused the health ministry, which said 60 people had been killed nationwide, of not disclosing up-to-date numbers regarding the death toll. Sources at the field hospital near the square told ABC News that more than 100 bodies were at that facility alone, excluding casualties from other parts of the country.
On Friday evening, they were fears that the toll could increase further, after the army surrounded a Cairo mosque where protesters were holed up. According to the Associated Press, forces tried to evacuate Morsi supporters from al-Fath mosque in Ramses Square, with each side accusing the other of opening fire.
Al-Jazeera said the military was trying to disperse Muslim Brotherhood activists from the square, with witnesses saying armoured vehicles were spotted at the scene.
Elsewhere, state television pictures showed the Cairo office of the Red Crescent on fire, with officials accusing Muslim Brotherhood of carrying out the arson attack.
Earlier, a coalition of Egyptian Islamists called an end to rallies on Friday that sparked deadly clashes nationwide, but said they would press on with daily protests .
"Today's rallies end with evening and night prayers (at about 1800 GMT), and will be followed by funeral prayers," Anti-Coup Alliance spokesman Gehad El-Haddad said.
"There will be daily anti-coup rallies," he told AFP.
Egypt's cabinet, meanwhile, said it is confronting a "malicious terrorist plot" by the Muslim Brotherhood as the number of supporters of Morsi marching towards Cairo’s Ramses Square continued to increase.
"The cabinet affirms that the government, the armed forces, the police and the great people of Egypt are united in confronting the malicious terrorist plot by the Muslim Brotherhood," the state said in a statement.
Thousands of protesters also gathered at the funeral of Asmaa, ?daughter of the Brotherhood leader Mohammed al-Beltagy, who was killed in the government crackdown on Islamist sit-ins on Wednesday.
Former President of al-Azhar University, Ahmed Omar Hashem, called on Egyptian to abandon fighting.
“You who were tricked by the tyrant who gave you false fatwas that have nothing to do with ?religion, would you be involved with the aggressors?”? Hashem asked during his Friday sermon which was aired by the national Egyptian television. ??
In his sermon, Hashem addressed the security forces and the armed forces with a special thank you ?saying “We thank Allah for saving Egypt from this vicious war. We thank Allah for supporting the ?security forces and the Armed Forces who fulfilled their duties with dignity and honour and died ? as martyrs, unlike those who gave up their children and ?women and ran for their lives while the security forces lost officers for the sake of the True [God].”?
Hashem called on regular Egyptian people to form committees to support the army and police in preserving ?safety and security in the country.?
The Muslim Brotherhood rejected accusations of causing violence and strife between ?Egyptians.?
The movement issued a statement saying “the Anti-Coup Alliance insists on the peacefulness of their resistance, demonstrations and sit-ins.”
Hundreds of Brotherhood supporters have flocked to al-Fatah Mosque ?at Ramses Square and started rallying whilst denouncing the crackdown on the sit-ins of Rabaa al-Adawiya and al-Nahda squares.
A march started from al Istiqama Mosque in Giza, followed by marches from the mosques in ?Haram street (North Giza) to join in Ramses Square.?
Eyewitnesses told Arab Today, that clashes erupted between worshipers and supporters of the ?Muslim Brotherhood inside the Amr ibn el-Aas Mosque in Misr al-Kadeema as Islamist began pro-Morsi chants.
The army closed off al-Nasr Road starting from Azhar University till Rabaa al-Adawiya ?Square and to prevent any Brotherhood supporters form return to the square.
The security and military forces also intensified their presence in the area surrounding Nasr City ?police station to prevent any attacks  or attempts to storm the station.
A source in the Cairo Security Directorate confirmed that a police officer was killed and another was injured of in an armed attack on the al-Mirage checkpoint in Cairo.
The Egyptian Interior Ministry said security forces are implementing a wide scale plan to secure all governmental and police ?facilities, and confronting any attempts of attacks to. The Ministry said it had allowed forces to ?use live ammunition in self defence.
The Ministry mentioned in a statement that it managed in the last few hours to foil several ?attempts by Brotherhood supporters to storm a number of police sites.?
The ministry previously warned that any attempt to attack government facilities will be confronted ?with the required force within the limits of the law.