Protests first broke out on Tuesday, sparked by an anti-Muhammad film which surfaced this week. The inflammatory film brought thousands of protesters to the US embassy, among them supporters of the conservative Salafi parties as well as Ultras, a group of young football supporters known for their active involvment in street protests in Egypt. Since then, the protests appear to be taking on slightly a different nature, no longer a confrontation about the film, but rather turning into another cat-and-mouse confrontation with Egypt’s riot police.

Freelance journalist Mosa’ab Elshamy posted a series of photos taken in the streets surrounding the US embassy, where ongoing clashes are taking place between Central Security Forces and protesters. According to the latest reports 224 protesters and 24 security personnel have been injured in the clashes, while 23 protesters have been arrested. 

See Mosa’ab’s photos of the clashes below:

Mosa’ab Elshamy is a freelance journalist based in Cairo covering news, events and current affairs. He has provided photos for numerous publications and websites.

Photos by Mosa’ab Elshamy. Text by Nancy Messieh