Caught on camera: The moment unarmed Egyptian protester was gunned down in street by 'Mubarak's police'

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 10:47 AM on 6th February 2011

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• Muslim Brotherhood holds first talks with Egyptian government for years
• Banks and shops reopen their doors after nearly two weeks of protests
• Confusion over future of government after key figures step down
• Newly-appointed vice-president survives assassination attempt
  
• U.S. suggests President Mubarak should stay in office to oversee transition of power

Footage of what appears to be a Egyptian protester being shot dead by police in Alexandria has been released on the internet.

The clip, which lasts for two-and-a-half minutes, was filmed from the balcony of a backstreet apartment in the Manshya district of Egypt's second city and shows demonstrators setting up a makeshift barricade across the roadway.

It comes as Egypt's largest opposition group said it would begin talks today with the government to try and end the country's political crisis.

The protester approaches the police, dropping his jacket to prove that he is unarmed (left). Soon more officers have arrived on the scene and train their weapons on him

End of the line: The protester falls to the ground after apparently being shot

A tyre is set on fire and then one of the protesters approaches a number of armed police positioned further up the street.

The protester spreads open his coat as if to show the officers - who already have their weapons drawn - that he is unarmed.

But he continues to face them and gesture to them - even though the black-clad security officers have their weapons trained on him.

Then, after a tense 30-second standoff, the protester drops to the floor as if dead before the clip abruptly ends.

An accompanying caption reads: 'Most likely killed on Friday the 28th of January in the Manshya District in Alexandria'.

Although not confirmed as genuine, the graphic film is the latest recorded evidence of fatalities during anti-government demonstrations that have ravaged the country for almost two weeks.

So far, officials claim that 11 people have been killed and thousands injured in the clashes.

Persistence: Tahrir Square was once again crammed with protesters last night, refusing to give up their calls for a change of government

Makeshift camp: People warm themselves around a fire as the protests enter a third week with no sign of Mubarak leaving power

The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest opposition group which is outlawed in the country, said in a statement that its representatives would meet Vice President Omar Suleiman to press 'legitimate and just demands'.

Senior Brotherhood leader Mohammed Mursi said the group was sticking to the protesters' main condition that President Mubarak stand down.

He said the talks would take place later today.

They would be the first known discussions between the government and the Brotherhood in years, suggesting the group could be allowed an open political role in the post-Mubarak era.

Some opposition leaders met with Mr Suleiman yesterday, but said they had been no breakthrough.

People power: Egyptian anti-Mubarak protesters face military tanks in Cairo yesterday as the government came under mounting pressure to stand down

Chain reaction: Anti-government protesters form a human chain to prevent Egyptian Army tanks from clearing barricades, next to the Egyptian Museum at an entrance to Tahrir Square

Defiant: Demonstrators stand in front of army tanks alongside the Egyptian Museum on the front line near Tahrir Square

President Mubarak's government was today aiming to get people back to work, with banks and businesses reopening after nearly two weeks of protest against his 30-year-rule.

Army commander Hassan al-Roweny said: 'We want people to go back to work and to get paid, and life to get back to normal.'

The U.S., Egypt's ally and aid donor, has stressed the need for gradual change and talks between the government and opposition groups.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday backed the talks and said the government's dialogue with opposition groups must be given time.

A spokesman for the Brotherhood said: 'We have decided to engage in a round of dialogue to ascertain the seriousness of officials towards the demands of the people and their willingness to respond to them.'

Praying for change: Opposition demonstrators pray in front of barricades alongside the Egyptian Museum on the front line near Tahrir Square

Opposition activist Mohamed ElBaradei said any compromise that would allow Mr Mubarak to lead the process of change would not be acceptable.

He said: 'To hear... that Mubarak should stay and lead the process of change, an that the process of change should essentially be led by his closest military advisor... would be very, very disappointing.'

Many shops have been closed during the 12 days of protests, making it hard for Egyptians to buy even basic goods.

Prices have been pushed up and economic growth, which was running at six per cent, was expected to suffer.

One million tourists have also been driven away from the country because of the violence and the Egyptian pound slumped to a six-year low.

Mr ElBaradei said there was still a 'hard core' who would not give up protesting as long as Mr Mubarak held on to power.

Talks: Opposition group the Muslim Brotherhood will hold discussions with the Egyptian government today for the first time in years

Daily life: Banks and shops reopened their doors today after nearly two weeks of protests across Egypt

'It might not be very day but what I hear is that they might stage demonstrations every other day,' he said.

'The difference is that it would become more angry and more vicious. And I do not want to see it turning from a beautiful, peaceful revolution into a bloody revolution.'

The UN estimates 300 people have died in the unrest and the health minister has said around 5,000 people have been injured since the protests began on January 25.

Two people were killed and 17 others injured after police fired on a crowd of around 1,000 attacking a police station in the northwestern town of Kef, Tunisia.

The crowd are believed to have turned on police after the chief officer slapped a woman during a demonstration.

The clash is one of the most serious since Tunisia began the process of moving out of a 23-year dictatorship when President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled the country last month.

A statement from the Interior Ministry said the people threw stones and firebombs at the police station, before torching two police vehicles.

Officers fired tear gas and shots into the air to try and disperse the crowd, before opening fire on the protesters.

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