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Egyptian protesters storm Israeli embassy building

10 September 2011 00:03 (UTC +04:00)

Al-Jazeera aired video footage showing Israeli embassy documents being thrown out of the windows. The embassy occupies the top two floors of the building.

It is unclear whether protesters managed to breach the offices of the Israeli mission as the situation in the area could be described as â€œchaotic,â€ Al-Jazeera said.

Several hundred protesters remain outside the building in a standoff with police reinforcements which have arrived in the area supported by at least 20 armored vehicles.

On Friday evening demonstrators partially destroyed a wall built outside the Israeli embassy to protect the building, ripped down the Israeli flag and set several police cars on fire. Police fired a number of warning shots and used tear gas to disperse the crowds.

A group of protesters earlier attempted to storm a heavily-guarded police compound in the area and reportedly set part of the building on fire.

Last month, Egyptians staged mass protests outside the embassy and called for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador following the border deaths of five Egyptian policemen accidentally killed on August 18 as an Israeli helicopter hunted a group of militants near the Egyptian border.

Egypt has asked Israel for an official apology and demanded a probe into the deaths of the policemen.