Egyptian riot policemen secure a street in front of burning tyres thrown by supporters of Muslim Brotherhood movement during their rally to mark the first anniversary of the military ouster of president Mohamed Morsi on Thursday in Cairo’s Ain Shams district.

CAIRO: A suspected militant died Thursday when a homemade bomb he was handling went off in a village near Cairo, security officials said, as the anniversary of the ouster of President Muhammad Mursi saw a series of small bombings across the country that did not kill or injure anyone.

They said the blast in Kirdasah, a volatile area just west of Cairo, wounded another man. In separate incidents, a small bomb went off near an air force hospital in Cairo, and bombs targeted a police station and a railway station in the southern city of Assiut.

Mursi’s supporters had called for mass protests to mark the anniversary, which were likely to be met with a harsh response from the security forces. Authorities have carried out a sweeping crackdown that has seen hundreds of protesters killed in street clashes and more than 20,000 people arrested over the last year.

In Cairo, police used tear gas to disperse demonstrations by Mursi supporters in three different locations. Eight protesters were arrested, said the officials. In the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, police dispersed a pro-Mursi demonstration, arresting 15 people and seizing what the officials said were leaflets inciting violence.

[wpResize]