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Hundreds of Yemenis stormed the US embassy in Sanaa on Thursday in protest of an obscure video portraying the Prophet Mohammad in insulting terms, and security guards tried to hold them off by opening fire in the air, witnesses said.

They said the demonstrators smashed windows of the security offices outside the embassy before breaking through the main gate of the heavily fortified compound in eastern Sanaa.

Film on al-Jazeera television showed demonstrators jumping up and down on the parapet of the building and scaling the walls.

Security guards opened fire and there were reports of casualties on both sides but no details were immediately available.

Meanwhile, Egypt’s president on Thursday said he supported peaceful protests, but that it was wrong to attack people or embassies, speaking in a televised address after demonstrators angry at the same film scaled the US embassy walls.

Demonstrators had clambered into the US mission in Cairo, tore down the flag and burnt it on Tuesday.

“Expressing opinion, freedom to protest and announcing positions is guaranteed but without assaulting private or public property, diplomatic missions or embassies,” President Mohamed Morsy said in a televised statement.
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He pledged to protect foreigners and condemned the killing of the US envoy in Libya.

Live television showed hundreds of demonstrators gathered at the embassy, where late on Tuesday around 2,000 protested outside after some illegally entered the compound, ripped down the flag and burned it.

Demonstrations near the US embassy continued on Wednesday night, requiring security forces to use tear gas to disperse the stone-throwing protestors.

State news agency MENA said some of those present had been injured, but gave no further details.

Clashes between security forces and protesters were also reported in side streets near the US mission into the early hours of Thursday. Reuters witnesses saw protesters carrying petrol bombs and saw smoke billowing from one of the streets leading to the embassy.

MENA said Egypt had arrested four people after Tuesday’s demonstration who were transferred to the prosecutor’s office, adding that security forces were still searching for others who scaled the walls of the US mission.