Cairo stops internet and mobile phone services

In this age of flash demonstrations organised via the Internet, the Egyptian government has moved quickly to try to keep a rein on the Web.

Internet access was shut down across the country shortly after midnight, and mobile phone text messaging services also appear to have been partially disabled.

Ahmed Abdel-Jawad, a supporter of the El-Ghad opposition party, told euronews: “At the moment we’re communicating with landline phones,” he says. “We give each other rendez-vous points to meet up in small groups and share information. And we go outside of Cairo to be able to communicate.”

Protesters say they will always be able to find a way around government attempts at communication blackouts.

In a message on the social networking site Twitter, the US State Department said it was concerned that communication services are being blocked.

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