Egypt’s prime minister apologizes for attack on protesters

Cairo — Egypt’s prime minister apologized Thursday for the attack by regime supporters on anti-government protesters in central Cairo, vowing to investigate who was behind it.

The protesters accused the regime of sending a force of paid thugs and policemen in civilian clothes to attack them with rocks, sticks and firebombs to crush their movement to oust President Hosni Mubarak.

Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq told state TV, “I offer my apology for everything that happened yesterday because it’s neither logical nor rational.”

The public apology from a top government official was highly unusual. Shafiq called the attack a “blatant mistake” and promised to investigate “so everyone knows who was behind it.”