[JURIST] The office of interim Egyptian President Adly Mansour [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] announced Thursday that the government is formally extending Egypt’s state of emergency for two months due to security concerns. The interim government has sent military troops, tanks and armored personnel carriers into the city streets, claiming that extraordinary measures are needed to fight the war on terrorism. Constitutionally, the interim government may only impose a state of emergency for three months before it is subject to a public referendum. Thursday’s extension is widely believed to be a response to recent suicide bombings [BBC report], which were done in protest to Egypt’s raid of suspected al Qaeda hideouts [NPR report].

Emergency laws were implemented in mid-August amid violent clashes [JURIST report] in the streets of Cairo, where police troops dispersed two protest encampments, leaving at least 275 killed and more than 2,000 injured [NPR report]. In subsequent days, the spread of violence claimed the lives of almost 1,000 people. The protests were attended by supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi [BBC profile; JURIST news archive], including the Muslim Brotherhood [BBC profile; JURIST news archive]. In July the Egyptian military deposed [JURIST report] Morsi, suspended the nation’s constitution and installed an interim government. This marked the peak of conflict in the nation, which has faced unrest since the Egyptian Revolution [JURIST backgrounder]. Only one day after Morsi’s ouster, Egyptian authorities shut down four Islamist-run television stations [JURIST report], causing concern among groups such as Amnesty International [advocacy website]. The Chairman of the Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt, Mansour, took the oath [JURIST report] to become the interim head of state on the same day that Morsi was deposed.