Egypt Protest Update: Ongoing Updates on Egyptian Violence

UPDATE 4:30pm CDT: Mubarak has asked his cabinet to resign, he stays and will appoint a new government today (Saturday in Egypt). Posting ongoing updates as they become available on the Egyptian crisis. This post will stay on top for awhile. Please scroll down for current posts. For more information on how the protest grew so massively overnight, this report sheds some light. Also of interest is Mohamed ElBaradei’s house arrest in Cairo. He returned to the country last Thursday night and got into the streets with the protesters. Could ElBaradei be vying to run the country.

Egyptian Protests - Walking a Tightrope

At about 8:45 pm in Cairo: 870 are believed injured in Cairo alone. At that time, 420 were said to be hospitalized  and the remainder treated at the scene. Earlier today, 7 are reported dead.

The Guardian UK headlines with Washington needs a friendly regime in Cairo more than it needs a democratic government. Ridiculous, because a “democratic” government isn’t in Egypt’s future.

2:10 pm CST: Robert Gibbs is giving a White House briefing at this minute. Says the White House is in touch with Egyptian officials, but Obama has not spoken with Hosni Mubarak. Asked again about 10 minutes later, Gibbs says he does not have an up-to-date list of the President’s contacts.

Evacuating the U.S. Embassy is under consideration, but at this time, no evacuations have been called for. Planning for that possible need is underway.

Gibbs said the White House was not “in touch with the Muslim Brotherhood.”

Gibbs says the White House regime is refusing to support either The Muslim Brotherhood or the Hosni Mubarak government. He has said several times in this press conference, that “violence” is not the answer.

Update 2:43 pm CST: Cell phone and Internet are still closed down in Egypt. A reporter in the White House press briefing asked Gibbs how the administration was getting their news with all lines of communication shut down, and the Obama administration not in direct touch with Mubarak. Gibbs said the regime had sufficient avenues of communication (paraphrased).

An Israeli spokesman says Israel is supporting the Hosni Mubarak government, and commented that “an earthquake has hit the Middle East.”

On with Fox News’ Shep Smith is John Bussey, the Wall Street Journal Assistant Managing Editor, says the U.S. is in touch with all of the “other power-centers” in Cairo,” and he specifically mentioned the Egyptian military.

Jennifer Griffin, the former Fox News Middle East correspondent and now Pentagon correspondent, said what is going on in Egypt right now is equivalent to the downing of Berlin Wall.

Update 3pm CST: Michael Scheuer a former FBI agent is on with Neil Cavuto, saying unfortunately, this is a revolution for Islam. He is exactly right. There is no democracy in the Egyptian citizens future.

Update 3:55pm CST: Terrorist analyst Erick Staklebeck is on Fox News with Neil Cavuto. He says Jordan is also seeing some protests in their streets. Egypt is the most influential of all the Arab countries, and if protesters are successful, violence could march across the Middle East.

Update 4:00pm CST: The Obama administration has called for Egypt to turn back on, the internet and all social networking.

Shep Smith says Mubarak was scheduled to speak 3 hours ago, but has not been seen, and Fox does not know where he is.

Greg Palkot is in Cairo and on the phone with Shep. He says there is a tense quiet on the streets. The military is still out. He said again that protesters held their own and then some. Time after time again, and again, defeated the police.

Everyone hates Hosni Mubarak, according to Palkot. He said not just the youth, not just the Islamicists – but people of every age want Mubarak gone. Palkot said the feeling there is, big things happened today, there will be change and the people are looking forward to the future. A revolution is underway.

Update 4:05pm CDT: Mike Emanuel was in the white House Press Conference today. He is now on with Shep. Says the president had a 40 minute briefing with advisors today on Egypt. Emanuel says the White House has no reason to believe Mubarak has left Cairo.

A spokesman for the Egyptian parliament has issued a statement saying: “The matter of calming the violence “is in safe hands – in the hands of Hosni Barak.”

Tarek Masoud Prof Harvard University on with Shep Smith, says the protests reach across all socio-economic groups. Masoud says he believe there are things happening that we do not know about – and he confirms that no one knows where Mubarak is. He mentions that Mubarak has never appointed a vice-president, so has no one to step in for him.

Update 4:18pm CDT: Hosni Mubarak is not addressing the people of Egypt on television. He says he is well aware of the degree of suffering of the Egyptian people, and he is always attached to it. He wants a national dialog and a genuine effort. He says he will continue social and economic reform. He will always consider the poor people of Egypt. He will expedite economic reform to help the people. Murbarak says we will rise above the looters, and keep a civilized country. He calls on everyone to work in the interest of the country, not by burning government property. He says he has dedicated his life for his country. We expect our engagement to look to a better future for prosperity for the citizens – achieve employment and a better standing of living for the people. He wants the people to fight and work for the poor. He says this will the plan for the country to go forward. He says he will live up to his responsibility (talking about violence) and says he will not fear to take control – he will not allow the violence. He will issue decisions for the sake of every Egyptian citizen. He swore allegiance that he will fight for the country – God be Upon You. (snippets and paraphrased)

Shep Smith summarizes it by saying the speech came just after midnight. I believe he said television was only on for the Egyptian people for a portion of the speech. Mubarak began by saying the protests are a “plot” against him and his government.

Mubarak did not address the White House appeals to turn television and Internet back on.

Update 4:30pm CDT: A NEWS ALERT: Mubarak just asked his entire government to step down (resign). He will appoint a new government today (Saturday in Egypt). So Mubarak says he will stay, and everyone will go but him.

Update 4:45pm CDT: Egyptian Army takes control of Tahrir Square, which is the main square in Cairo and directly next door to the government complex, of which much has been burned. Sunrise is at 6:47am Cairo time on January 29th.

Update 6:pm CDT: Greg Palkot, live in Cairo was just on again with Shep Smith. He said the people are still in the streets and there are chants of “go, go, go, leave, leave, leave.

Shep asks a Wall Street Journal correspondent who is live in Cairo, is the military siding with Mubarak or the people? The answer was unclear, but he did say there was a peaceful period tonight, with the military in control, until the people once again filled the streets – and once again began burning building.

Update 6:25pm CDT: The UK Telegraph is reporting that the United States backed the protesters and sent an Egyptian rebel leader to a U.S. State Department “youth” training program in New York City in 2008. That protester is under arrest in Cairo. That information courtesy of WikiLeaks.

Update 1-29-11 (9:50am CDT): The fifth day shows Egyptians are still in the streets.

Omar Suleiman has been sworn-in as Egyptian Vice President. Mubarak has refused to choose a CP since 1989, Suleiman is the chief of Intelligence, believed to be supported by the people, and now, possibly a contender for the Fall 2011 presidential race.

There is a report that police gunfire, coming from inside the Interior Ministry have fired on the protesters in Tahrir Square.

The Saudia Arabian stock market took a significant hit today – down 6%.

King Abdullah (Saudia Arabia) is believed to have condemned the protesters and offered his support to Mubarak.

Al Jazeera reports political prisoners in two of Egypt’s prisons have rioted. In Abu Zaabal, the prisoners have charge of the guards but prison officials still have charge of entrances and exits and all prisoners are still inside.

The Daily Beast asks: is Qaddafi Next? “To the west is Tunisia. To the east is Egypt.

Protesters protect the Cairo Museum.

Dead reported at 74

Update 1-29-11 – 10:15pm CDT: Ahmed Shafiq is the new prime minister. Shafiq was the Minister of Civil Aviation.

Sudanese youth are calling for a mass demonstration in Khartoum on Sunday . Emails and texts messages are flying. A newspaper there said the “right time to rise against oppression and despair.”

Update 1-29-11, 3:20pm CDT: 11:25pm in Cairo: Earlier Fox reported that many police have left the protest areas to try to protect people around the city that are plagued with crimes against them, while the police were off fighting the protesters.

Julie Banderas on Fox had contact with someone in Cairo, and said the people in one apartment building are trying to secure their doors as criminals try to break in and loot.

The curfew is being adhered to much better than last night. The streets are not empty but the crowds are fewer. Many were up all night, however, and probably had to choose to get some sleep. There appears to be no thought that the protesters are planning to stand down.

Update 1-31-11 – 11:15 CST: Tomorrow (Tuesday in Egypt) the call has gone out for a March of Millions. The news breaks that a small group of 20-somethings are behind the original protests and have been calling the shots all along. There is much we know and recognize about Mohamed ElBaradei, which the Muslim Brotherhood has embraced, and who is the person the 20-somethings have designated to be their contact with the United State. Read that report here.

For a great resource to ongoing reports on the Egyptian uprising, visit The Conservative Hideoout’s Egypt Crisis page.

Tags: Egyptian Crisis, The Muslim Brotherhood