THREE people died as the Egyptian army opened fire on protesters demanding the release of deposed President Morsi.

BBC journalist Jeremy Bowen was shot in the head and leg as the peaceful demonstration ended in bloodshed.

Rubber bullets, shotgun pellets and tear gas were fired indiscriminately outside Cairos Republican Guards Club where Morsi is believed to be held.

Bowen, a veteran of conflicts around the globe, said it was the first time he had been shot.

He said: I was crossing the road when they opened fire. I think it was a shotgun. I got two pellets in the leg and one in the ear. It came out of nothing.

Islamist leaders had called for a day of rage across the country after a military coup deposed Egypts first democratically elected leader after just one year.

More than 200,000 people gathered at sites across Cairo after Friday prayers.

At Cairo University, where bloody fighting on Tuesday left 23 dead, an imam asked 300 worshipers: Would you die for god on this ground?

They replied as one: Yes.

At the Raba El-Adwyia square, more than 100,000 supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood president gathered. A splinter group set out to the Guards Club. As a flag was draped on a
barricade, teargas and shotguns were fired on the crowd without warning.

The crowd none appearing to be armed tried to stand firm. One injured man said: We have nothing but they opened fire on their own people.

The arrest of Morsi and 200 Muslim Brotherhood and Islamist leaders sparked widespread discontent.

A soldier was killed in a rocket and mortar attack in Sinai yesterday.

Muslim Brotherhood supporters in a town north of Cairo also claimed to have been attacked on Thursday night.

More than 50 people have died since the latest unrest began on Sunday.