US embassy in Cairo attacked

11 Sep, 2012

Protesters attacked the American embassy in Cairo on 11 September. Some 2,000 people gathered around the heavily- fortified embassy in central Cairo, before tearing down and destroying the US flag.

The violent incidents in Cairo came at the same time as the attack in Libya on the US consulate in Benghazi in which the US ambassador and three other embassy staff have died.

The protests, which coincide with anniversary of the attack on the Twin Towers in New York on 11 September 2001, appear to be against a US-made film, titled "Innocence of Muslims" which portrays the Prophet Mohammed in an insulting manner.

The attack on the US embassy in Cairo comes as Washington moves to close a deal with Egypt for $1 billion in debt relief, as well as giving provisional support to the $4.8 billion loan that Cairo is currently seeking from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).