CAIRO, Oct 22 (Aswat Masriya) – Security forces arrested on Wednesday 12 students accused of attempting to "storm Cairo University's campus," the ministry of interior said.

In a press statement, the ministry said that it "monitored" plans to head to Cairo University by "students who belong to the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood" from the universities of al-Azhar, Helwan and Ain Shams.

The arrest was closely followed by an explosion outside Cairo University's main gate. The explosion left six security personnel and four civilians injured, the ministry of interior said.

The academic year has witnessed a violent start during its first two weeks.

A law student at the University of Alexandria was reported dead on Tuesday morning due to wounds sustained during on-campus violence last week.

Before the start of the academic year, the cabinet discussed measures to be adopted during the year to quell any possible tension.

Minister of Higher Education Sayed Abdel Khalek hired a private security company on September 24 to guard 12 public universities during the academic year.

Strict security measures adopted by Falcon Security Services at the university gates nevertheless triggered violence from the students, who became frustrated with their delayed entrance into campus.

The Cairo-based Democracy Index reported on Saturday the occurrence of 58 student protests during the first week of the new academic year, at the rate of almost 10 protests per day.

The Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression reported the arrest of over 200 students during the past week. AFTE said on Saturday that 186 students remain detained. Those arrested include 70 students arrested from their homes, AFTE had earlier reported.

Eight domestic civil society organisations condemned the arrest of students during the first three days of the year in a statement released last week. International Watchdog Human Rights Watch also condemned the students' arrest in a separate statement on the same day, calling for their release.

University campuses have witnessed unprecedented violence throughout the past academic year, with at least 16 students killed amid on-campus protests, according to AFTE's Student Observatory.

The pro-Mohamed Mursi "Students against the coup" movement has been organising protests against the former Islamist president's military ouster throughout the past academic year as well as this year. Protests have often devolved into clashes with security forces.