Hundred of thousands of anti-government protesters attend peaceful rally on February 1, 2011 in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt. The week-long demonstration turned violent on February 2nd when supporters of Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak confronted the anti-government demonstrators. UPI | License Photo

CAIRO, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Egyptian opposition leaders braced Wednesday for a "blood bath" in Egypt as pro- and anti-government demonstrators attacked each other in the streets.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak late Tuesday announced he wouldn't seek another term in office during elections scheduled for later in 2011. Mubarak, 82, never publicly committed to another term after speculation regarding his health last year.


Mubarak in his address said he would pursue a transfer of power that "will fulfill the people's demands and their hopes for political, economic and social progress and for the provision of employment opportunities and fighting poverty and achieving social justice."

By Wednesday, however, any apparent order had collapsed as Mubarak backers clashed with anti-government protesters in Cairo. More than 100 people were reported injured Wednesday and at least one person was killed, al-Jazeera reports.

Opposition groups accused pro-Mubarak supporters of sending in armed men on horseback into the crowds.

Mohamed ElBaradei, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency and Egyptian opposition leader, told al-Jazeera he was "extremely concerned" the violence erupting Wednesday could spiral out of control.

"My fear is that it will turn into a bloodbath," he told the news agency. Representatives with Amnesty International, meanwhile, said the violence was reminiscent of Mubarak's past efforts at quieting protests, describing the situation as "cynical and bloody."

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Al-Jazeera added that its correspondents and those working with U.S. news agencies were being targeted in the streets Wednesday.

P.J. Crowley, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department, said Wednesday that Washington was upset over the lack of restraint.

"The use of violence to intimidate the Egyptian people must stop," he said in a statement.