Egypt seals off Cairo's Tahrir Square, thwarting protest

Egyptian security forces on Friday sealed off Cairo's Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the so-called Arab Spring uprising in 2011, thwarting a possible protest in the capital against the country's president.

The closures came amid a harsh security clampdown following rare demonstrations in several cities last weekend, all of which were broken up by police.

Lawyers say more than 2,000 people have been arrested since then, though Egypt's general prosecutor claims his office has questioned no more than 1,000 people over the latest protests.