CAIRO: Egypt’s military chief called for mass rallies Friday to give him a mandate to tackle violence that has surged following his overthrow of Islamist President Mohammad Morsi, ramping up pressure on the ousted leader’s Islamist supporters.

 

General Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, who deposed Morsi on July 3 and installed an interim administration in the wake of huge street protests, said Wednesday he did not want more bloodshed and urged national reconciliation.

 

Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood, which accuses Sisi of leading a coup, said the call for nationwide demonstrations raised the specter of a military crackdown, and warned of a possible civil war. Underscoring the potential for violence, Morsi’s backers announced plans for 34 marches in and around Cairo Friday.

 

Also Wednesday, Egypt’s public prosecutor ordered the arrest of Brotherhood leader Mohammad Badie and eight other senior members of the movement in a probe over accusations of inciting violence.

 

Badie has been detained for questioning and later released at least once since July 3. The Brotherhood, which for decades existed largely underground before the fall of strongman Hosni Mubarak in 2011, fears a broad crackdown is underway.

 

Egypt’s first freely elected president, Morsi has been held at an undisclosed military facility since he was shunted from power.

 

Speaking after days of sporadic street clashes that have left more than 100 dead, Sisi said ordinary Egyptians should rally to strengthen the hand of the army and police.

 

His comments appeared designed to secure a public cover for what could be a move to dismantle sit-in camps by Morsi’s supporters in Cairo and elsewhere, as well as a campaign against Islamist radicals that have stepped up attacks on security forces in Sinai.

 

“I request that all Egyptians next Friday ... go down [into the street] to give me a mandate and an order to confront possible violence and terrorism,” he told a military graduation ceremony in remarks broadcast live by state media.

 

Citing the “current situation,” the United States said President Barack Obama had decided to delay delivery of four F-16 fighter jets to the Egyptian army, signaling deepening concern in the West over the course taken by the Arab world’s most populous country.

 

Washington said any demonstrations should be peaceful and that Egypt’s interim leaders must remain focused on moving toward elections.

 

“We’re very concerned about the calls [for rallies],” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. “We’re concerned about the possibility of this leading to more violence.”

 

Crowds on the streets have played a crucial role in Egypt’s faltering transition to democracy, triggering the downfall of Mubarak, forcing concessions from the generals who took power after him, and forcing Morsi from his position after just a year in power.

 

Since the fall of Mubarak more than two years ago, Egypt has been in turmoil, worrying allies in the West and neighboring Israel, with which Egypt has had a peace treaty since 1979.

 

In response to the massive demonstrations prompting Morsi’s ouster, Brotherhood supporters have also taken their woes onto Egypt’s sun-baked streets, setting up a round-the-clock vigil in northeast Cairo close to key military installations.

 

“This [Sisi’s speech] is an invitation to civil war and the spilling of the people’s blood in the streets,” the Brotherhood said in a statement on Facebook, denouncing the army chief as head of a “military dictatorship.”

 

Across the country, violent unrest continued to claim lives.Sisi’s speech followed an overnight bomb attack on a police station in Mansoura, 110 km north of Cairo, that killed one person and wounded two dozen others. A government spokesman condemned the act as a terrorist attack.

 

Shortly after Sisi spoke, two soldiers were killed in attacks in the lawless North Sinai region, while four militants accidentally killed themselves near a police training center in the area when their car bomb detonated before they reached their intended target, security officials said.

 

In the Nile delta cities of Damietta and Menoufiya, 24 people were reported hurt in clashes.

 

During overnight bloodshed in Cairo, two people were killed and 23 wounded when a march of Morsi supporters came under fire, security sources said. It was the latest in a line of assaults targeting Islamists.

 

“We think that after what Sisi has said, there will be violence Friday. He is encouraging thugs to come and attack our peaceful protest,” said Mohammad Hamdi, 24, an engineering student attending the Brotherhood’s Cairo vigil. “We have no guns and don’t want violence. We will keep protesting the bloody military coup.”

 

The authorities have accused the Brotherhood of inciting trouble and Morsi supporters of using weapons during protests.

 

“Egypt has started a war on terrorism,” said Ahmad al-Moslimany, a spokesman for Egypt’s army-backed interim presidency. “The call by Gen. Sisi is for the protection of the revolution and the state,” he said in comments carried by state news agency Al-Ahram.

 

Wearing dark glasses and brimming with confidence, Sisi said he would stick to a political road map drawn up by the military that envisions fresh parliamentary elections within roughly six months. The Brotherhood has said there can be no political reconciliation until Morsi is restored to power.

 

“The coming elections will be decisive. If you have real weight and public opinion supports your movement, then that will be reflected in the coming vote,” Sisi said, wearing full military uniform.

 

Many ordinary Egyptians say they are tired of the constant tensions, which have crushed the country’s vital tourism industry.

 

Some openly welcomed Sisi’s announcement Wednesday.

 

“Thank God! We were wondering when the army would make its move and release us from this chaos and horror the Brotherhood is causing,” said Ahmad Mohammad, a 76-year-old pensioner in central Cairo.

 

State news agency Mena said the Interior Ministry planned “unprecedented security” to protect the Friday rallies.

 

The Tamarod (Rebel) youth group behind the campaign to unseat Morsi, who it accused of partisanship and mismanagement, said on Facebook it was throwing its weight behind a fresh round of demonstrations.

 

Yasser al-Shimy, an Egypt expert at the International Crisis Group, said escalating tensions jeopardized the prospects for establishing political stability: “Both the authorities and the Muslim Brotherhood should recognize the urgency of negotiating a compromise out of this ever-escalating impasse.”