Egypt's president warns against 'deceitful' protests

Egypt has loosened security measures in the capital, Cairo, a day after it sealed off the main square and downtown thoroughfares to thwart a possible protest against the country's president.

Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the pro-democracy uprising in 2011, was reopened Saturday to normal traffic, as were subway stations in the area that had been closed the day before.

Headlines in pro-government dailies ran comments from President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi warning against "deceitful" attempts to discredit his rule.

Egypt has witnessed a harsh security clampdown following rare demonstrations in several cities last weekend, which were broken up by police.

Lawyers say more than 2,000 people have been arrested since then, though Egypt's general prosecutor said his office has questioned no more than 1,000 people over the latest protests.