An official security source said on Saturday that the Interior Ministry security forces are still confronting attempts to storm the general prison, police station and the court in Port Said which are all exposed to heavy firing from automatic weapons.

"The police forces in Port Said are still experiencing bloody clashes in the wake of the verdict issued by the court early on Saturday. The court sentenced to death 21 defendants accused of involvement in killing 74 people during riots that followed a football match in Port Said last February," said the source in a statement issued by the Interior Ministry as reported by the Middle East News Agency.

Following the verdict, families of the convicted attempted to break into the Port Said Prison to free their relatives.

He added that the clashes resulted in the death of two police officers and many "serious injuries" among police forces.