Egypt coup: Some shocked, some elated
A man with his face painted in Egyptian colors celebrates in Tahrir Square.
July 4th, 2013
12:19 AM ET

Egypt coup: Some shocked, some elated

  • Today, Egypt swore in an interim president, Adly Mansour
  • Deposed President Mohamed Morsy remains under house arrest
  • The Muslim Brotherhood says Morsy is cut off from communications
  • Tahrir Square is quiet, and some protesters are making plans to clean up the trash there
  • Refresh this page for the latest news we're seeing and hearing. Catch up with our full story here.

[Update 7:00 a.m. ET, 1:00 p.m. in Egypt] ...250...the number of arrest warrants for Muslim Brotherhood members in connection with killings in front of MB headquarters, which came under attack days ago.  Egypt's new prosecutor general, who Morsy had deposed, issued the warrants.

Muslim Brotherhood headquarters after they were attack.

[Updated at 6:50 a.m. ET, 12:50 p.m. in Egypt] Bahrain's King al-Khalifa, who has had to deal with his own popular uprising, enthusiastically congratulated interim President Adly Mansour "on taking over the reins of power in Egypt at this important time in history."  Iran's state-run Mehr News Agency gave Morsy a kick over his religious orientation on his way out: "Sunni Morsi immediately turned into a critical figure against the Iranian Shia government and has not allowed Iran to appoint an ambassador in Cairo."

[Updated at 5:28 a.m. ET, 11:28 a.m. in Egypt] Mansour says the Egyptian people have empowered him to "amend and correct" the revolution.

[Updated at 5:28 a.m. ET, 11:28 a.m. in Egypt] Who is interim President Adly Mansour?  His low-key demeanor might be the very reason the military picked him, analysts say. CNN's Faith Karimi explains.

[Updated at 5:11 a.m. ET, 11:11 a.m. in Egypt] Mansour appears before Egypt's assembly, prepares to speak.

[Updated at 5:11 a.m. ET, 11:11 a.m. in Egypt] Did Morsy's personal style rub Egyptians the wrong way and contribute to his downfall? Read this portrait of the deposed president by CNN's Laura Smith-Spark.

Also, "coup" or no "coup?" CNN's Christian Amanpour does not mince words:

[cnnvideo url='http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2013/07/04/ac-egypt-battle-over-the-word-coup.cnn' inline='true']

[Updated at 4:50 a.m. ET, 10:50 a.m. in Egypt] Reactions have been pouring in from world leaders. Most of them are along the same lines: carefully formulated, and express respect for the will of the Egyptian people. Among the countries that have sent in reactions are Morocco, Jordan ....

[Updated at 4:38 a.m. ET, 10:38 a.m. in Egypt] CNN's Ian Lee reporting in front of the high court: This is the same place, where Mosry was installed just a year ago.

[Updated at 4:34 a.m. ET, 10:34 a.m. in Egypt] Mansour remains chief justice, as well, Egyptian state TV reports.

[Updated at 4:28 a.m. ET, 10:28 a.m. in Egypt]  Interim Egyptian President Adly Mansour was sworn in in Cairo.

[Updated at 4:16 a.m. ET, 10:16 a.m. in Egypt] Two leading figures of the Muslim Brotherhood were arrested today, Egytian state radio reports. The former speaker of parliament and a member of the party's executive office were taken to Cairo's Torah prison.

[Updated at 4:10 a.m. ET, 10:10 a.m. in Egypt] Today, the European Union called on Egypt to go down the path of democracy, human rights and non-violence.  Its head of foreign affairs and security, Catherine Ashton, said:

"I welcome the peaceful manner in which most demonstrations have been conducted thus far, but I find continuing cases of sexual abuse of female protesters deeply troubling. I urge all sides to show restraint.... Confrontation cannot be a solution."

[Updated at 3:53 a.m. ET, 9:53 a.m. in Egypt]  Egypt's military has arrested Morsy and other members of the Muslim Brotherhood. It shut down pro-MB broadcasters and raided al Jazeera's Cairo office after it aired a statement by the deposed president.  Then army leaders say today that the military will protect Islamists from attacks and intimidation, state-run Nile TV reports.  And they say they will not shut any factions out of political life.  That brings up an interesting question:

[Updated at 2:52 a.m. ET, 8:52 a.m. in Egypt] Human Rights Watch weighs in on what the Muslim Brotherhood should do next:

[Updated at 2:41 a.m. ET, 8:41 a.m. in Egypt] Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said he is concerned about stability in Egypt but also respects the will of the people. He hopes Egypt will exit the current crisis stronger.

[Updated at 2:28 a.m. ET, 8:28 a.m. in Egypt]  Health officials say 32 people were killed in clashes in Egypt yesterday.

[Updated at 2:10 a.m. ET, 8:10 a.m. in Egypt] This is a statement from the UAE, which says it is "following with satisfaction" the developments in Egypt. In the UAE, the Muslim Brotherhood is a banned organization.

"H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said that the UAE has full confidence that the great people of Egypt will be able to overcome the current difficult moments that the country is experiencing in order to reach a safe and prosperous future. ...

"His Highness added that the great Egyptian army proves, once again, that it is the strong shield and the protector that guarantees that the country is a land of institutions and law that embraces all the components of the Egyptian people."

[Updated at 1:52 a.m. ET, 7:52 a.m. in Egypt] Instagram has put together a collection of the best photos and videos by its users.  View here. 

View this post on Instagram

#egypt revolts

A post shared by Aisha ✨ عائشة (@aishaalshabrawy) on

(from @AishaalShabrawy)

[Updated at 1:45 a.m. ET, 7:45 a.m. in Egypt] Morsy deprived the opposition of a political process, activist Ahmed El Hawary told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "We don't have - we didn't have any outlets or anyway to be heard unless we go down to the streets and chant our demands, and even though, he ignored us."

[Updated at 1:27 a.m. ET, 7:27 a.m. in Egypt] A popular image on the photo social media site Imgur, allegedly from Egypt.

[Updated at 12:19 a.m. ET Thursday, 6:19 a.m. in Egypt] Welcome to Thursday's Egypt live blog.  With Mohamed Morsy out of power, some of his opponents are making plans to clean up Tahrir Square, while his supporters say they will protest until he is reinstated as president.  CNN's Ben Wedeman, a veteran journalist, who was long based in Cairo, warns that there will likely be no calm after the storm of recent protests.

[Updated at 11:52 p.m. ET, 5:52 a.m. in Egypt] Some 40 anti-Morsy protesters are planning to meet with cleaning equipment to polish up their former protest campground, Tahrir Square.  They have invited over 2,000 people to join them on Facebook. 

[Updated at 11:03 p.m. ET, 5:30 a.m. in Egypt] CNN's Jake Tapper outlines some fine points of Obama's reaction to the Egyptian military's actions:

President Obama’s statement Wednesday evening about the Egyptian military’s seizure of power from President Mohamed Morsy is as telling for what he doesn’t say as for what he does: he doesn’t mention the word “coup.” He doesn’t call upon the Egyptian military to restore power to the “democratically elected civilian government,” but rather to a“democratically elected civilian government” - in other words, it need not be Morsy’s.

The thinking of the president and senior Obama administration officials, according to a knowledgeable source, is that while the administration is not explicitly supporting the removal of Morsy from power - it expressly did not support the move - it is seeking to now push the Egyptian military in a direction.

If the Obama administration were to use the word “coup.” that would have legal ramifications that would result in the end of U.S. aid. If White House officials were to pull the plug completely, they would be removing themselves from the picture altogether. Read the story.

[Updated at 10:19 p.m. ET, 4:19 a.m. in Egypt] CNN's Ben Wedeman, who spent time at a pro-Morsy rally in Cairo on Wednesday evening, reported he spoke to one protester who said he felt demonstrators would stay there "until Mohamed Morsy is once again president of Egypt."

Wedeman recalled the exchange early Thursday after leaving the pro-Morsy rally to go to the larger gathering at Cairo's Tahrir Square, where people still were celebrating Morsy's ouster.

Wedeman said that although much focus is on the joy and excitement at Tahrir Square, "there's a significant portion of the Egyptian population - (although) I wouldn’t suggest it’s a majority - who are very upset at what has happened."

Wedeman, a CNN senior international correspondent who'd previously served as CNN's Cairo bureau chief, said it appeared the overall mood in Egypt would be different than 2011, when then-President Hosni Mubarak was deposed. In 2011, Wedeman said, Mubarak's supporters kept a low profile for months.

"There's not going to be that quiet after the storm this time around," Wedeman said.

[Updated at 10:06 p.m. ET, 4:06 a.m. in Egypt] Get ready for an extremist backlash to Morsy's ouster, says Mohammed Ayoob, Michigan State University professor emeritus of international relations.

"The major lesson that Islamists in the Middle East are likely to learn from this episode is that they will not be allowed to exercise power no matter how many compromises they make in both the domestic and foreign policy arenas," Ayoob wrote for a CNN.com opinion piece. "This is likely to push a substantial portion of mainstream Islamists into the arms of the extremists who reject democracy and ideological compromise."

CNN's Ben Wedeman, reporting from Cairo, also said there's a danger that some members of the Muslim Brotherhood will break from the main group and "challenge (Egypt's new leaders) with violence."

They may take the attitude of "we tried to play the game, our leaders were jailed, our media have been shut down ... so we’re going to destroy the system," said Wedeman, who is a CNN senior international correspondent and had previously been CNN's Cairo bureau chief.

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Filed under: Arab Spring • Egypt • Elizabeth Warren
soundoff (334 Responses)
  1. Mary

    You as well saywhat đź‰

    July 4, 2013 at 1:10 pm | Report abuse |
  2. Ahmed

    Please don't call Egypt's second revolution a coup. We – the Egyptian people – called on the army to help free Egypt of a terrorist regime and his gang. We are the spark of the revolution.
    If you think the Bros were good and we are evil, then why would the Arab countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE offers help and congrats to help the Egyptian economy? Why would the Egyptian stock market hit a remarkable win by 22.7 milliards of Egyptian pounds? Please think before accusing real Egyptians of being bad while they are good loving Egypt. By the way, please turn on to the Egyptian channels to see the celebration at Tahreer Square, the symbol of of revolution that inspired the world.
    Also, if it is a coup, why would the church & Al Azhar support it? Please think again and support the development of Egypt not its destruction by the Bros who call CNN to say they were couped.
    An Egyptian citizen

    July 4, 2013 at 1:28 pm | Report abuse |
    • I made a wheel!

      Go throw some more rocks caveman

      July 4, 2013 at 3:52 pm | Report abuse |
    • Mary

      Please disregard the nasty trolls @ Ahmed. And I have seen the beautiful celebration on "Egyptian Streets" FB page. Good day my friend 🙂

      July 4, 2013 at 3:57 pm | Report abuse |
    • pianki

      Ahmed, Morsi was elected by a majority of the Egyptian. This is a Coup and the US will stop all aid. Matter of fact the USA should stop giving AID to everyone. This is idiotic.

      July 4, 2013 at 6:27 pm | Report abuse |
  3. M A

    Morsy will return in shaa Allah. Period.

    July 4, 2013 at 1:59 pm | Report abuse |
  4. saywhat

    That there is a divide in Egypt cannot be denied@Ahmed.
    While there are those who rejoice at Morsi's ouster there are those too who rallied for him and support him.
    We shall have to see how all this unfolds and what new elections bring.
    We wish the people of Egypt well like people anywhere else.

    July 4, 2013 at 2:28 pm | Report abuse |
    • BOMBO

      There were millions who supported Marcos as he was being overthrown in Philippines, but you won't find many supporting him now.

      July 4, 2013 at 6:05 pm | Report abuse |
    • Ahmed

      thank you @ saywhat

      July 4, 2013 at 7:00 pm | Report abuse |
  5. Mary

    Have a rotten day @ all trolls đź‰

    July 4, 2013 at 3:59 pm | Report abuse |
    • Ahmed

      thanks for the support Mary. I won comment on what they said, I just said my point

      July 4, 2013 at 7:41 pm | Report abuse |
  6. Factsseeker

    Most countries around the world are politically divided into two camps. The feelings between both sides is often quite hateful and extreme. Also any one party can always bring out millions on to the streets if necessary. Democracies have learned that you cannot depose an elected government after one year even if you strongly disagree with the government. You allow the government the time to try and find the middle ground. In Egypt, they seemed to have learned little from political science and experience. Now it is going to be very difficult to bring the Islamists back into the process because there will always be the distrust that the military will come in with their guns and depose them, no matter how often they are elected. It was a terribly shrt-sighted move. There are countries that function under democratic Islamic governments such as Turkey who are evolving democratically. The military never solves anything by using force to establish a political system. It has never worked anywhere in the world.

    July 4, 2013 at 5:47 pm | Report abuse |
    • R U Nuts?

      You say that on Independence Day weekend? As I recall, George Washington led a Continental Army that enabled secession from the tyranny of King George III and established the United States. You are wildly erroneous.

      Multi ethnic democracies never work is more accurate.

      July 5, 2013 at 8:30 am | Report abuse |
    • Factsseeker

      Reply to R U Nuts
      The American war of independence has few similarities to the Egyptian military ousting of Morsi. Independence day celebrates a battle against a colonial occupier, not a legally elected government of the country. The American War of Independence was also much more a war between the two greatest naval powers of the time. Without French involvement, the British would have won quite easily. It was not the US military turning on its own people. The enemy was from the outside and the battle was really part of an international war.

      July 5, 2013 at 6:08 pm | Report abuse |
  7. Yehia El-Shazly

    I think the removal of Morsi was the best solution for this fascist group of Muslim Brotherhood, who spawned division between the Egyptian people based on religion. He never met any of his promises, but instead created more problem by appointing his futile regime into the government. He created war with the Constitutional Court, the Judges, the media, the police, etc...He used his fascist colleagues from Extremists group to intimidate his opposition and they sieged the Constitutional Court and the Television. With more failure on the social side, economic side, the Egyptian people collected more than 22 million signatures asking him to step down. On sunday, the 30th of June, around 33 million person marched all over Egypt and ordered him to step down. In front of these masses, the army asked him to step down and followed the order of the people of Egypt of appointing the head of the Constitutional Court as the president for a transition period.
    He is now using his fanatic from the Mother Brotherhood and the other extremist groups and even El Qaeda and Hamas to threaten the Egyptian people of terrorist attacks...But the Egyptian people will never listen to him.......

    Imagine what would have been in the world if the German people had removed the elected Hitler from the presidency of Germany before the WWII ????

    July 4, 2013 at 7:37 pm | Report abuse |
  8. Kenny Rogers

    I don't understand why I am being deleted.

    July 4, 2013 at 10:16 pm | Report abuse |
  9. Bubba

    The Egyptian military take over is a coup of a democratically elected president. Regardless of whether one supports the President's politics, even if one million people took to the streets to complain (in a country of, what , 80 million?), that does does not make protests emblematic of the People's will. (That is what elections are for.). The same thing happened in Algeria in the 90s. How long did their civil war last? The US's hypocritical and milquetoast response will only destabilize the region further. Way to go, US! Always sure to disappoint!

    July 4, 2013 at 10:32 pm | Report abuse |
  10. anestetik

    It is very ironic to hear all you US people to be "concerned" about Egypt and being smart.
    It would be better to clean in your own backyard and stop terrorizing the rest of the world.

    July 5, 2013 at 4:50 am | Report abuse |
  11. saywhat

    Good morning all.
    To get an insight into the going ons in Egypt read Jonathan Steel's article "A Ruionous Intervention" in the Guardian today.

    July 5, 2013 at 10:03 am | Report abuse |
  12. saywhat

    With arrests of Morsi supporters and news now say some were killed, violence breaking out , the interventionist role of US becomes more difficult as situation deteriorates.
    What would happen to the 1.5 billion annual aid to the military?

    July 5, 2013 at 10:22 am | Report abuse |
  13. pianki

    Keep the 1.5 billion and give congress a 1.5 billion dollar raise. Problem solved. Next issue.

    July 5, 2013 at 10:30 am | Report abuse |
  14. Be afraid be very afraid

    So our commander in chief's response is driven by National Security Advisor Susan "Benghazi" Rice, SEAL liar Kerry in State, and throw dingaling Valerie Jarrett in ... Whew, you'd get better advice from random kids at a little league game.

    July 5, 2013 at 10:39 am | Report abuse |
    • Nason

      What do you want Obama to do in this situation? Whatever he does, you'll complain anyhow.

      July 5, 2013 at 11:03 am | Report abuse |
    • Mickey1313

      We shouldn't be doing anything. We should pull our from them, and let them solve there own problems.

      July 5, 2013 at 11:43 am | Report abuse |
  15. saywhat

    Oh yeah @pianki
    This Congress indeed deserves a raise, I forgot. lol

    July 5, 2013 at 10:43 am | Report abuse |
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