There is an increased army presence in Cairo's Tahrir Square, after unrest that has led to hundreds of casualties.

After Friday prayers were held in a relaxed atmosphere, the crowd started chanting for Mr Mubarak to go.

Mr Mubarak has said he is "fed up" with being in power but is resisting mounting pressure to resign as he says it would leave Egypt in chaos.

In his first interview since anti-government protests began, he told ABC News he would like to resign immediately. But he repeated that the country's Islamist opposition - the Muslim Brotherhood - would fill the power vacuum left by his absence.
Continue reading the main story
At the scene

The pro-Mubarak element seems to have disappeared at least for the moment and the army has a cordon between the two sides. It is holding a ring and letting people in. The numbers are building up and of course people here are expecting a big day.

The mood is very relaxed. I've got hundreds of people around me who have spent a long time here, many of them are sleeping because they are exhausted, others are sitting chatting in the sunshine.

There was a false alarm a short while ago. When they think they are coming under attack they bang on railings with metal bars to attract attention and the lads start running to that spot. But the sense of imminent attack has now eased. They do feel this is coming to a climax and I think they're feeling the shift within the Egyptian ruling leadership.

Most people here do have confidence in the army as a kind of neutral institution. I believe there is a struggle going on between elements loyal to the regime, perhaps loyal to the previous interior minister who was fired and who has now had his assets frozen and is not allowed to leave the country.

Some people believe the attacks were motivated by his people trying to extract revenge, to show there is still a power and to punish the other part of the establishment for firing him.

Protest organisers are demanding that he leave immediately.

They have been angered further by the emergence in recent days of pro-Mubarak gangs - many suspected to be plain clothes police - who have attacked anti-government protesters.

The protesters say they want to put the "last nail in the regime's coffin".

The BBC's Jim Muir in Tahrir Square says the much stronger army presence has been securing the perimeter, but on good terms with the protesters.

Defence Minister Gen Mohamed Hussein Tantawi and other military leaders joined the armed forces in the square on Friday.

Protesters chanted: "The army and people are united."

Thorough checks for weapons were carried out ahead of Friday prayers.

After the prayers, the numbers in the square continued to swell.

Correspondents also say that there are many more tanks and soldiers out on the streets of second city Alexandria than before.

On Friday, the general secretary of the ruling NDP, Ibrahim Kamel, accused the West of betraying Egypt.

He vowed President Mubarak would not step down and that soon millions of Egyptians - "the silent majority" - would come out on to the streets to protest because "enough is enough".

Egypt's health ministry says eight people have been killed and more than 800 injured in the clashes, but the UN estimates that more than 300 people have died since the unrest broke out on 25 January, with about 4, 000 hurt.

Source: BBC News