Unrest stirs again in Egypt

CAIRO, March 5 (UPI) -- Chanting demonstrators converged outside a courthouse in Cairo Saturday, calling for the death penalty for the former interior minister, police said.

Former Interior Minister Habib el-Adly is charged with money laundering and unlawful acquisition of public money while serving in ousted President Hosni Mubarak's government.

His trial was put off until April 2 to allow his defense team time to prepare, the BBC reported.

While el-Adly denies the corruption allegations, he has become a token target for anti-government protesters since Mubarak fled the capital last month.

The civil unrest also escalated in Alexandria Saturday when crowds stormed the country's state security agency building, reports said.

Police reportedly opened fire on the crowd, but the number of injuries wasn't immediately known.

Protesters told reporters they believed government employees in the building were destroying documentation of torture allegedly perpetrated by Mubarak's regime, the report said.

Egypt was the second of several predominantly Muslim countries after Tunisia this year to see political upheaval and calls for democracy.