Egypt: Tensions Run High as Friday Prayers Begin

Our contacts in Cairo tell us that it was eerily quiet most of the morning and that all mobile phones went out a few hours ago. Friday prayers are now underway with a huge security presence in the streets. Police, security forces and groups of plain-clothes thugs are surrounding every mosque in the city. Protests will begin shortly, when prayers end, and people are starting to pour into the street now. It is very tense and while there is no known violence as of yet, there could be soon.