CAIRO: Reuters witnesses have said that in Suez dozens of protesters climbed on to tanks as soldiers try to wave them off.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced a nationwide curfew in place from 6 pm Cairo Local Time until 7 am tomorrow.
Yet there have been media reports that shots were heard in Central Cairo streets after the curfew was imposed.
Simultaneous reports have shown that the headquarters of the ruling National Democratic Party were set ablaze in Cairo also after a curfew came into force, according to live footage carried by Al Jazeera television showed.
State television confirmed the building was set on fire.
On the other side of Downtown Cairo, an eyewitness told Daily News Egypt that on the side streets of the area, people are embracing the army. After performing evening prayers near Mahmoud Bassiouny Street, they climbed on top of army tanks and chanted, “The people and the army are one.”
He also said that protesters in the thousands are blockading streets, stopping army tanks while banging and calling for army personnel to join them in the protest. The back of the Egyptian Museum was also catching fire, according to an eyewitness. Ambulances trying to get through the area are stopped and searched by protesters before being allowed through.
NDP branch offices in several other cities around the country were also set on fire or attacked during the day, witnesses told Reuters.
Sounds of gunshots were also heard in the streets of central Cairo.
Daily News Egypt correspondent said that the Alexandria Police Chief’s residence was burnt down and looted. –Daily News Egypt with additional reporting by Mina Reda.
