US embassies attacked - embassies in Tunisia and Sudan

Protesters angered by a film made in the US and mocking Islam have attacked Western embassies in Tunisia and Sudan.

In Khartoum, protesters entered the US compound, while the German and UK embassies were also attacked. In Tunis, a cloud of black smoke has been seen over the US embassy compound and police have fired warning shots.

There were also clashes in Yemen and Egypt. One person in Lebanon has died.

Protests began on Tuesday against the film, which was made in the US.

However, the film - clips of which were dubbed into Arabic and distributed online - has no link to either Germany or the UK.

It depicts the Prophet Muhammad as a womaniser and leader of a group of men who enjoy killing.

However, the film's exact origin and the motivation behind its production remain a mystery.

'March abandoned'
A spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office confirmed to the BBC that a demonstration was taking place outside the embassy in Khartoum, and said Sudanese police were at the scene.

However, the spokesperson could not say whether protesters had entered the embassy, or whether the demonstration was about the anti-Islam film.


The German embassy in Khartoum was set partially alight. Demonstrators tore down the German flag and hoisted an Islamic banner in its place.

The German foreign ministry confirmed all its staff in Khartoum were safe.

In Cairo, police firing tear gas pushed about 500 protesters back from the US embassy. The streets nearby have been blocked with barbed wire, concrete and police vehicles.

Islamist groups and others had called for a peaceful "million-man march" in the city, but a number withdrew those calls on Friday.

The Muslim Brotherhood of Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi said it would organise marches and sit-ins in front of mosques - but none outside the US embassy in Cairo.

After talks with Italian leaders in Rome, Mr Mursi reiterated his government's determination to protect foreign diplomats on its soil. He also condemned the film as unacceptable.

In other developments:

In the Yemeni capital Sanaa, security forces fired warning shots and water cannon to disperse protesters near the US embassy
In the Lebanese city of Tripoli, protesters set fire to a KFC branch, sparking clashes with security forces
In Bangladesh, thousands of demonstrators demanded harsh punishment for the film's makers, and burned the American flag
In London, about 200 protesters gathered outside the US embassy, burning the US and Israeli flags but there was no violence
The protests began on Tuesday in Cairo. They spread to the Libyan city of Benghazi, where demonstrators stormed the US consulate, killing the ambassador and three other Americans.