2 killed as thousands protest Hosni Mubarak verdict in Egypt

CAIRO: At least two people were killed and nine others injured when police clashed with demonstrators who were protesting here to denounce an Egyptian court's verdict to drop a murder charge against ousted leader Hosni Mubarak.

Over 3,000 protesters took to the streets and gathered near Tahrir Square yesterday evening, after Mubarak was acquitted of a murder charge by a court which found him not guilty in the killing of hundreds of unarmed protesters during the 2011 Egyptian Revolution that toppled the former strongman's nearly three decade-long regime.

Health Minister Adel el-Adawy confirmed today that two protesters died while 10 others sustained injuries.

The protesters waved the country's flag and chanted slogans against the verdict.

Police closed Tahrir Square to prevent protesters from entering and fired water cannons, teargas and birdshot to disperse the crowd, media outlets reported.

In a dramatic reversal of fortune, Judge Mahmud Kamel al-Rashidi yesterday overturned the life sentence Mubarak received in June 2012, which means he will face no punishment for allegedly sanctioning the murder of 846 protesters during Egypt's 2011 uprising or for allegedly profiting from the export of gas at below-market rates.