Egyptians blame military for deadly soccer riot

“They want to punish us and execute us for our participation in the revolution against suppression,” the Ultras of Al-Ahly group said in a statement. It vowed a “new war in defense of our revolution.”

The Ultras long have been bitter enemies of the police. Their anti-police songs, peppered with curses, quickly become have viral and an expression of the hatred many Egyptians feel toward security forces that were accused of much of the abuse that was widespread under Mr. Mubarak’s regime.

The stadium riot came on the one-year anniversary of one of the most violent days of the 18-day anti-Mubarak uprising. On Feb. 2 last year, in what became known as the “Battle of the Camel,” Mubarak loyalists on camels and horses attacked protesters at Tahrir Square, leading to nearly two days of battles with rocks, firebombs and slabs of concrete.

Associated Press writer Aya Batrawy contributed to this report.

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