Egyptian military beat protesters in Tahrir Square hours ago

CAIRO (AP)

Soldiers beat hundreds of protesters with clubs and fired heavy volleys of gunfire into the air in a pre-dawn attack that broke up a demonstration in Cairo's central Tahrir Square, a sign of the increasing tensions between Egypt's ruling military and the country's protest movement.

A force of around 300 soldiers swept into the square around 3 a.m. and waded into a tent camp in the center where protesters had formed a human cordon to protect several army officers who joined their demonstration, witnesses said.