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As was the case exactly two years ago before President Hosni Mubarak's ouster, streets around Egypt were roiled by deadly clashes Friday, pitting protesters against both police and supporters of the nation's current leader.
At least seven people were killed, six of them in Suez where gunfire erupted during clashes between anti-government protesters and those loyal to President Mohamed Morsy, according to official media outlets.
Four of those killed in Suez had been shot in the abdomen, Health Ministry spokesman Ahmed Omar told state-run EGYNews.
It was not clear which group those killed belonged to or who was responsible. The head of security in Suez denied his forces fired on protesters, state TV reported. By Saturday morning, Egyptian armored vehicles were dispersed around Suez at the request of the city's security chief, who had said his forces were fired upon and feared the situation was getting out of control, EGYNews reported.
Yet the unrest was not confined to the coastal city of Suez, on the northern tip of the Red Sea.
The seventh death was in Ismailia, according to EGYNews. Nationwide, at least 456 people -- including dozens of police and security forces, though the vast majority were civilians -- were injured throughout the day, health ministry officials said.
Into Saturday morning, after the anniversary of what some call the January 25 Revolution officially had passed, thousands of protesters were still in a standoff with police outside state-run Nile TV's offices in Cairo. Some demonstrators there tossed Molotov cocktails, while police responded with tear gas.
The unrest comes as Egypt continues its struggle to find stability, security and harmony after the ouster of Mubarak, who in his 30 years of ruling Egypt was accused of vigorously clamping down on dissent. He has been given a life sentence for his role in the killings of peaceful protesters demanding his exit, though he will get a new trial in April, the state-run MENA news agency reported this month.
Morsy, who became the North African country's first democratically elected president last year, has since become a target for some who say he hasn't been inclusive or true to the revolution's goals. Those critics say he has amassed power for himself and his Islamist allies. Morsy was a leader in the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group that was banned under Mubarak, before he rose to power. He has defended his moves as necessary to move Egypt forward in the face of pressing issues and persistent obstacles.
On Friday, state TV reported security forces had thwarted attempts to raid security headquarters in Faiyum, a city about 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Cairo. Other security forces turned back pushes on government buildings in Damietta, Kafr el-Sheikh and Gharbia, as well as Suez.

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