Opposition leader joins protest against police abuse after alleged beating death of Egyptian

Several thousand Egyptians protest police abuse

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt — Several thousand Egyptians, along with a top opposition leader, are protesting what they call systematic torture by the police after the alleged beating death of a young man.

Mohamed ElBaradei, the former U.N. atomic watchdog who has become a leading voice for reform in his homeland, joined the around 2,000 protesters at an Alexandria mosque.

The crowd is chanting slogans against President Hosni Mubarak and pushing and shoving with security forces surrounding the mosque.

It is the latest protest sparked by the death this month of Khaled Said, who witnesses say was beaten to death by police on an Alexandria street. The government says he suffocated from swallowing drugs, despite photos of his body showing his jaw smashed.