27 injured as police, protesters clash in Cairo

At least 27 people were injured in Egypt when police used teargas and rubber bullets to prevent protesters from staging a sit-in against the country's military rulers on Saturday, officials said, dpa reported.

Activists said the protesters had tried return to Tahrir Square in central Cairo, the focal point of the uprising against the regime of Hosny Mubarak.

The protesters threw stones at security forces while chanting slogans against the Interior Ministry and the country's military, they said.

Policemen dispersed the crowd and arrested some activists, according to witnesses.

State television reported that a police car was torched and that five "rioters" were arrested and would face legal action.

The police action was condemned by key opposition April 6 movement.

"We reject the savagery shown by police in Tahrir Square and their systematic violence against peaceful protesters," said April 6 spokesman Tareq al-Khuli.

The activists vowed late Friday to embark on an open-ended strike to protest what they said was a murky plan from the military to hand over power to a civilian administration.

Thousands of people, most of them Islamists, gathered Friday in the iconic Tahrir Square to demand that military rulers set a clear timetable for the handover.

They also demanded that authorities drop proposed constitutional amendments giving the military powers over the parliament.

The military has been in control of Egypt since Mubarak stepped down on February 11.