CAIRO, April 12 (UPI) -- People were gathering in Tahrir Square Friday in advance of planned demonstrations against sectarian violence that has recently rocked Egypt, officials say.
The area around the square has been calm and open to traffic, as well as roads leading to it, Ahram Online reported.
Friday prayers at the square are expected to be led by Mazhar Shahin, who became known as the "Tahrir Preacher" for leading prayers during the country's 11-day uprising in 2011.
Shahin was recently suspended as a cleric after he allegedly criticized President Mohamed Morsi in a sermon.
The demonstration comes as a leaked report claims senior Interior Ministry officials sanctioned the use of live ammunition against protesters in Suez during the uprising, The British newspaper The Guardian reported.
The report, commissioned by Morsi, found police fired indiscriminately at crowds from the roof of a police station. Senior officers also allowed weapons to be removed from armories without identification.
Allegations the military was involved in torture, killings and disappearances during the uprising that eventually toppled President Hosni Mubarak were documented in earlier leaks.
Human rights groups said they hoped the report would result in prosecution and conviction of Suez officials and policemen who are specifically named in the document.
