Live Updates: Egypt's President Ousted - Army Takes Charge
After historic protests in Egypt last Sunday, Egypt's military issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi "to meet the demands of the people" or the army would intervene. That deadline has passed. The Egyptian military has dissolved the country's constitution and ousted President Mohamed Morsi, triggering jubilation and fireworks in the streets of Cairo. As the same crowds that flooded Cairo's Tahrir Square in 2011 return to the streets, follow the action on this blog and join the conversation on Twitter with #EgyptABC.
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The Guardian spoke with a Morsi aide who said the presidency sees the 48- hour ultimatum as a coup:
"Obviously we feel this is a military coup ... But the conviction within the presidency is that [the coup] won't be able to move forward without American approval."
Adding confusion, the Muslim Brotherhood later tweeted that the "opposition would like to interpret military statement as a coup against president, it's not. Military is patriotic institution." Does that put the coup debate to rest? Not likely.
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The Egyptian TV station Al-Qahira Wal-Nas is counting down from 48 hours, we'll keep you posted as the clock runs out.1:19 PM
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Meet the new micro-celebrities of Tahrir Square: Mahmoud Badr, Mohammed Abdel-Aziz, Hassan Shahin, Mai Wahba and Mohammed Heikal. The New York Times' Ben Hubbard profiles the five young activists behind the June 30th protests. According to Hubbard, this is how it all started:Two months ago, five young activists at a Cairo coffee shop hatched a simple plot to capture the growing public frustration with the direction of their country: collect signatures calling for the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi and organize a protest at the presidential palace on June 30, the anniversary of his inauguration.As happened once before, with the demonstrations that toppled the former president, Hosni Mubarak, the results ran far beyond the organizers’ expectations.
The campaign, called “tamarrod,” Arabic for “rebellion,” spawned branches across the country and rallied millions of Egyptians to join the protests this weekend that have infuriated the country’s Islamists, shaken Mr. Morsi’s grip on power and pushed the Egyptian military to threaten to once again take over the country.
The campaign’s success has made its originators — Mahmoud Badr, Mohammed Abdel-Aziz, Hassan Shahin, Mai Wahba and Mohammed Heikal, all 22 to 30 years old — heroes to those who oppose the Muslim Brotherhood. They are cheered at protests, hounded by journalists and sought after as guests on evening talk shows.
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More stunning photographs from Tara Todras-Whitehill:MT @taratw This one didn't make the slideshow. Protester takes down the MB emblem yesterday at the HQ pic.twitter.com/p3Tdz5LMnq
9:48 AM- Reply
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Fixing link on @taratw shot of MB sign being burned at HQ. #EgyptABC fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn…
9:47 AM- Reply
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The full read out of President Obama's call with President Morsi has been posted online.See the readout of President Obama's phone call with President Morsy on the @whitehouse website: ow.ly/mAlop10:16 AM
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MUST WATCH: Last night's rave in Tahrir Square, via Michael Hayes.
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Reading the tea leaves suggests negotiations may take place in some form before the clock runs out. Ahram Online reports the Egyptian cabinet has authorized Prime Minister Qandil to lead the charge for Morsi's office, and the newly created 30 June Front has tapped former presidential candidate and former IAEA chief Mohammed ElBaradei.
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Reuters reports that if political negotiations fail, the military has a draft of the political "road map" in the can. The draft reportedly suspends the constitution and dissolves the Islamist-dominated parliament. More to come.Exclusive: draft Egypt army roadmap proposes to change constitution and scrap parliament, say military sources reut.rs/13oGyRr11:45 AM
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Draft Egypt army roadmap lays out plan for interim council to rule until constitution changed, followed by presidential election #breaking11:35 AM- Reply
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Small protest in Zamalek. #june30 #egyptabc instagram.com/p/bRJiYDAjaK/
by Alexander Marquardt via twitter 7/2/2013 4:51:40 PM -
We will again be closed on Wed, July 3. Vodafone will contact visa applicants by SMS to reschedule. Also, Thurs, July 4 is a U.S. holiday.12:54 PM
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Another journalist on the ground reports cheering has replaced the clashes in Cairo's Giza governorate:Police vehicles just arrived to Kitkat square. People cheering and chating 'people and army are one hand'. #June30 #Egypt1:39 PM
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According to residents I asked, supporters of Morsi were marching from Wehda street to Kitkat square then clashes broke out. #June30 #Egypt1:36 PM- Reply
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State Spox Psaki confirms #SecKerry spoke with (former?) Egyptian FM Amr this afternoon. #EgyptABCby dana_hughes via twitter 7/2/2013 6:10:52 PM -
#SecKerry to (fmr?) Egypt FM Amr : Democracy is about more than just elex... about ensuring that ppl can have their voices heard. #EgyptABCby dana_hughes via twitter 7/2/2013 6:40:13 PM
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In an interview Tuesday night, the Vice Chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party continued to downplay the rift between the military and the presidency:MB's Essam el Erian says whoever thinks mil chief Sissi asked Morsi to step down is delusional. #June30 #EgyptABC youtube.com/watch?v=EkmY7F…3:53 PM
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video of Essam Erian saying someone is trying to design a photo shop revolution youtu.be/EkmY7FnYL7I via @youtube #Egypt3:26 PM- Reply
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The Guardian’s Middle East Editor profiles the man behind the 48-hour ultimatum, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi:
General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi: top brass ready to defend the people gu.com/p/3h2z3/tf1:53 PM- Reply
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President Morsi has just broken his silence over Twitter, rejecting the military’s ultimatum, calling on them to withdraw it. As ABC's Alex Marquardt notes, this only further ratchets up the temperature ahead of tomorrow’s afternoon deadline.
#الرئيس محمد مرسي يؤكد تمسكه بالشرعية الدستورية ويرفض أي محاولة للخروج عليها ويدعوالقوات المسلحة سحب إنذارها ويرفض أي إملاءات داخليةأوخارجية4:39 PM- Reply
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English translation: “President Muhammed Morsi reassures everyone he is following the constitutional legitimacy and rejects an attempt to overstep it and calls for the armed forces to withdraw its ultimatum and rejects any internal or external orders.” -
Morsi's office tweets that he "calls for the Armed Forces to withdraw its ultimatum and rejects any internal or external orders.” #EgyptABCby Alexander Marquardt via twitter 7/2/2013 9:07:31 PM
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President Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood is remaining defiant this morning, with just over six hours left until the military's ultimatum expires. "President: My blood is the price of legitimacy," read today's banner headline in the newspaper of its political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party.3:54 AM- Reply
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Meanwhile, the state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper's banner headline proclaimed, "Today.. sacking or resignation."Jul. 3, 2013- Reply
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PHOTO: Last night, Egyptians watched with bated breath as President Morsi delivered a speech on live television, defying calls for him to step down.
Egyptians watch Morsi's speech on television on Tuesday. (Credit: Hassan Ammar/AP)by Ben Gittleson on Jul 3, 2013 at 9:07 AM -
State-owned Al-Ahram reports a meeting may be in the works but provides no specifics:Al Ahram: BREAKING: Egypt Armed Forces call on all political factions to attend meeting to discuss road map. #EgyptABC7:57 AM
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More from @ahramonline on who is attending roadmap meeting. #EgyptABC english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/…8:22 AM
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Ahram Online names the players expected at today's meeting ahead of the 5pm deadline:Mohamed ElBaradei, delegated by the June 30 Front and the National Salvation Front (NSF) to negotiate in the name of political powers, was also called to participate in the meeting, as confirmed by Mohamed Abul-Ghar, head of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, on television.Representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), Tamarod (Rebel) campaign, ultra-conservative Salafist Nour Party, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, and Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II are expected to join the meeting as well.
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Ahram Online reports that Muslim Brotherhood supporters are planning to go ahead with their presser at 3:30 p.m. (9:30 a.m. EDT) but now it appears the timing of the military's statement is in flux.
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Army has taken over Egyptian TV headquarters in Cairo. @AleemMaqbool reports all non-essential staff sent home. #Egypt #EgyptABCby Jon Williams via twitter 7/3/2013 1:10:16 PM -
The situation at Egypt state TV headquarters remains fluid with just 30 minutes to go until the clock strikes 5pm. Staffers tell the Associated Press that "officers from the army’s media department moved inside the newsroom and were monitoring output, though not yet interfering."The state-owned TV station is run by the minister of information, a Muslim Brotherhood member appointed by President Morsi. The coverage is typically pro-government but in the last three days we've seen more balanced reporting.
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Military officers present in #Egypt's state TV newsroom, monitoring content before deadline - AP. Guess no-one getting extra time for piecesby Jon Williams via twitter 7/3/2013 2:39:54 PM
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Reuters reports Egypt's military leadership is still meeting with the opposition as the clock runs out. "The General Command of the Armed Forces is currently meeting with a number of religious, national, political and youth icons ... There will be a statement issued from the General Command as soon as they are done," the army said on its Facebook page. We're still waiting on the statement.
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Masses streaming into #Tahrir minutes ahead of deadline. Crowd celebratory...for now. #EgyptABCby Alexander Marquardt via twitter 7/3/2013 2:45:00 PM
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#Egypt army spokesman: Mtg of military leaders w/ nat'l, youth and religious figures is over. Statement w/in 45 min: fb.me/Upbmuq6qby Ben Gittleson via twitter 7/3/2013 6:31:06 PM -
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Young American students and researchers in Egypt are now preparing to evacuate the country, after the State Department warned Americans to depart.
Fulbright program participants in Egypt are following the lead of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, which is evacuating all non-essential staff and families; Fulbright scholars and students must leave the country, too. The Center for Arabic Study Abroad, an Arabic-language program in Cairo, is also evacuating its fellows, all of whom are American. And the Associated Press reports the Washington-based American Councils for International Education is evacuating the 18 students in its Arabic Overseas Flagship Program in Alexandria, Egypt.
“I’m hopeful that circumstances will permit my return,” James Casey, a student at the Center for Arabic Study Abroad, told ABC News. Casey, who is also a fellow with the U.S.-based Institute of International Education’s Boren Fellowship program, is flying to Washington. “Fingers crossed that I can come back,” he said.
Some students are heading to nearby countries and waiting out the unrest, while some are returning to the United States.
Other young Americans not connected to programs with mandatory evacuations are taking a wait-and-see approach. But for Hannah Cumming, today’s events were enough to send her and two friends packing.
“I think it is better to err on the side of caution and watch what happens in the next couple of weeks, with the hope of coming back,” Cumming, who is interning at a non-profit in Cairo and now leaving for Jordan, told ABC News.
The evacuations come less than a week after a 21-year-old American student was killed in Egypt during clashes between government supporters and opponents.
