Egypt's military chief called Wednesday for mass demonstrations to give the army a mandate to deal with "violence and terrorism," signalling a possible crackdown against the Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters, dpa reported.
"I ask honourable Egyptians to take to the streets on Friday to give us a mandate to face potential violence and terrorism," Abdel-Fatah al-Sissi, who toppled Islamist president Mohammed Morsi, told a televised ceremony at a military college in Cairo.
"I want Egyptians to show the world that they have a willpower and decision-making. If some people resort to violence and terrorism, the army and police will be mandated to face this."
A senior official in the Brotherhood, to which Morsi belongs, dismissed al-Sissi's call.
"The millions will actually turn out on Friday but to support legitimacy and reject the coup," Essam al-Erian wrote on Facebook. "Al-Sissi's threats will serve him no good."
The anti-Islamist group Tamarod, which spearheaded the street protests that preceded Morsi's removal, backed al-Sissi's call.
The movement called on Egyptians to pack the nation's major squares on Friday to "support the Armed Forces' coming war on terrorism."
The Brotherhood has said it will hold rival rallies, raising the risk of clashes.
Both sides have traded blame for violence in which dozens of Egyptians have been killed since Morsi's overthrow by the army on July 3, after unprecedented protests by millions to demand the Islamist president step down.
The Brotherhood has condemned Morsi's toppling as a coup and vowed to protest until he is restored to office.