Al-Azhar University has decided to halt mid-year examinations Saturday as violence between security and students supporting ousted president Mohamed Morsy escalated, with police arresting 101 students, security sources told MENA.
Students were caught with fireworks, Molotov cocktails and a BB gun.
Informed sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm that exams at the Faculty of Mass Information will resume 25 January 2014. MENA reported that exams at the Faculty of Commerce were also called off, though no date has been specified to resume, but added that other faculties will go ahead with exams as scheduled.
Violence erupted once again between security and Muslim Brotherhood supporters outside the Faculty of Commerce when protesting students attempted to interrupt the exams, denying colleagues entry to exam halls.
The students set fire to a cafeteria near the Faculty of Science and police chased protesters in the vicinity of the Faculty of Engineering.
Students hurled stones at the forces, who replied with tear gas. Unconfirmed news circulated that one student had died of injuries.
The university was expecting 450,000 students to attend the exams at 72 university branches across the republic.
Interior Ministry spokesperson Hany Abdel-Latif said Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated students smashed exam halls at three faculties and tore other students' exam seating numbers.
Abdel-Latif told Al-Masry Al-Youm that forces had managed to control a fire demonstrators set to the Faculty of Commerce.
