Clashes between Christian protesters and Egyptian security forces have flared again in Cairo, with hundreds pelting police with rocks.
At least 24 people were killed when Christians, angered by a recent church attack, clashed on Sunday night with Muslims and security forces outside the state television building in central Cairo.
The latest clashes took place outside a Cairo hospital where bodies of Christian victims were kept. They came hours before funeral services for the victims were to be held at the city's Coptic Christian cathedral.
Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf warned in a televised address that the riots were another setback on the country's already fraught transition to civilian rule after three decades of overthrown leader Hosni Mubarak's authoritarian government.
"These events have taken us back several steps," Mr Sharaf said. He blamed foreign meddling for the troubles, claiming it was part of a "dirty conspiracy." Similar explanations for the troubles in Egypt are often heard from the military rulers who took power from Mubarak, perhaps at attempt to deflect accusations that they are bungling the management of the country.
"Instead of moving forward to build a modern state on democratic principles, we are back to seeking stability and searching for hidden hands - domestic and foreign - that meddle with the country's security and safety," he said.
The clashes on Sunday night raged over a large section of central Cairo and drew in Christians, Muslims and security forces. They began when about 1,000 Christian protesters tried to stage a sit-in outside the state television building along the Nile in downtown Cairo. The protesters said they were attacked by "thugs" with sticks and the violence then spiralled out of control after a speeding military vehicle jumped up onto a pavement and rammed into some of the Christians.
Most of the 24 people killed were Coptic Christians, although officials said at least three soldiers were among the dead. Nearly 300 people were injured.
Christians, who make up about 10% of Egypt's 85 million people, blame the ruling military council for being too lenient on those behind a spate of anti-Christian attacks since Mubarak's removal.
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The chaotic power transition has left a security vacuum, and the Coptic Christian minority is particularly worried about a show of force by ultraconservative Islamists, known as Salafis.
