Forty-two people were arrested in the turmoil on central Cairo's Tahrir square early Saturday, among them eight people wearing army uniforms and three foreigners, Egypt's Supreme Council of Armed Forces said at a press conference.

The Supreme Council denied that army troops opened fire at demonstrators in Tahrir square earlier Saturday.

Assistant Defense Minister Major General Adel Omara asserted that soldiers who were at the scene were not armed, and the protesters were arrested during the curfew which starts at 2 a.m. local time (0000 GMT).

Thousands of Egyptian protestors returned to Tahrir Square Saturday morning, and some of them tried to set up tents inside the square, calling for a civil presidential council to manage the country in the transitional period until a new constitution is issued and the presidential and parliamentary elections are held.

Omara also dismissed reports that caretaker Prime Minister Essam Sharaf submitted his resignation, and the reports that former president Hosni Mubarak travelled abroad for medical treatment.

The military authorities said it would clear the square to bring life back to normal.

Egypt's Ministry of Health confirmed earlier that one person was killed and 71 others were injured in the turmoil dawn of Saturday in Tahrir Square.