Egypt PM vows to bring killers of pro-Morsi demonstrators to justice

Egyptian Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawi has vowed to bring the killers of three supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi – murdered in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura last night – to justice. "What happened was a grisly crime," al-Beblawi declared via Twitter on Saturday. "The killers will be hunted down and brought to justice soon." Three women lost their lives Friday night when unidentified assailants opened fire on a pro-Morsi rally in Mansoura. Thousands of Egyptians mourned the victims at a Saturday funeral, amid widespread condemnation of the incidents by both Islamist and liberal groups. The Muslim Brotherhood described the killings as "a crime that Israel wouldn't dare commit in occupied Palestine." Vice-President for International Affairs Mohamed ElBaradei, for his part, also condemned "all forms of violence" and called for an immediate investigation into the murders. "Egypt is in dire need of reconciling with itself," he said via Twitter. Thousands of Morsi loyalists staged mass rallies in several Egyptian governorates on Friday to demand his reinstatement. Anti-Morsi demonstrators, meanwhile, gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square and outside the Ittihadiya presidential palace in support of an army-backed roadmap for Egypt's transitional phase. The army deposed Morsi, Egypt's first democratically elected president, on July 3 following mass protests against his regime. It also suspended the national constitution and installed Adly Mansour, the head of Egypt's constitutional court, as interim president. At least 171 Egyptians have been killed and thousands injured since the June 30 protests that culminated in Morsi's overthrow.