World Bulletin / News Desk

Clashes erupted on Monday between Egyptian security forces and student protesters from Cairo's Al-Azhar University, a traditional stronghold of students affiliated with ousted president Mohamed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, eyewitnesses said.

According to eyewitness, anti-coup students pelted security forces stationed inside the university campus with stones while the latter responded by firing teargas and warning shots.

Clashes erupted inside the campus near the university's Engineering Faculty, eyewitness said.

Female students, meanwhile, also staged a march outside their nearby campus before security forces dispersed it with teargas, eyewitnesses said.

Earlier Monday, a university security official accused pro-Morsi students of setting fire to several vehicles in a parking lot in Al-Azhar University's campus in eastern Cairo.

"The fire spread to all the vehicles parked in the lot, including those used to transport university staff and private cars," the source said.

He said police had entered the campus at the request of the university's administration with the aim of finding the arsonists.

The security source added that fire trucks had been summoned to put out the fire.

The university's administrative security staff had initially attempted to put out the blaze with fire extinguishers, the source said.

Egypt's Al-Azhar University has seen almost daily demonstrations – which have often turned violent – since Morsi's overthrow by the army last July.

Recurring clashes with security forces have left several students dead and scores injured in recent weeks and months.

Monday's violence came one day after two students were killed when security forces dispersed an Al-Azhar student protest staged to demand the release of colleagues arrested during earlier demonstrations.

Student protesters also demanded the reinstatement of colleagues expelled by the university for participating in previous demonstrations against Egypt's army-backed interim authorities.