Mr Mansour praised the armed forces and the Egyptian people
Egypt's military has moved against the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood a day after deposing President Mohammed Morsi.
Mr Morsi is being detained, as well as senior figures in the
Islamist group of which he is a member. Hundreds more are being sought.
The top judge of Egypt's Constitutional Court, Adly Mahmud Mansour, has been sworn in as interim leader.
He has pledged to hold elections based on "the genuine people's will".
But senior figures in the Brotherhood and its political wing,
the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), were quoted as saying they would
not work with the new powers - but would not take up arms or encourage
followers to do so either.
The upheaval comes after days of mass rallies against Mr Morsi and the Brotherhood.
“Start Quote
We don't have a democracy anymore. The military have taken it away from us. We will take to the streets and stay there”
Some 50 people have died since
the latest unrest began on Sunday, with correspondents saying that there
are continuing fears of confrontation between the pro- and anti-Morsi
blocs.
A coalition of Islamist parties - the National Coalition in
Support of Legitimacy - has called for mass mobilisations to denounce
the army's actions following prayers on Friday.
Warrants
Gehad el-Haddad, a spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood,
earlier told the BBC that Mr Morsi had been put under house arrest and
the "entire presidential team" was in detention.
The army said Mr Morsi, Egypt's first freely elected leader, had "failed to meet the demands of the people".
Egypt's revolution - key events
- 11 February 2011 - Hosni Mubarak resigns as president after two weeks of massive street protests and violent clashes
- January 2012 - Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Freedom and Justice Party wins parliamentary elections with almost half of the vote
- June 2012 - Mohammed Morsi becomes Egypt's first freely elected president
- 22 November 2012 - Mr Morsi issues a controversial decree granting himself extensive powers - after angry protests, he eventually rescinds most of it
- 3 July 2013 - The army suspends the constitution and removes Mr Morsi from power
Mr Haddad's father, senior Morsi aide Essam el-Haddad, and Saad al-Katatni, head of the FJP, are among those being held.
On Thursday afternoon unnamed officials said Mohammed Badie,
supreme leader of the Brotherhood, had been arrested in Marsa Matrouh, a
Mediterranean coastal city to the west of Cairo.
Arrest warrants have reportedly been issued for some 300
other members of the Muslim Brotherhood, including Mr Badie's deputy,
Khairat al-Shater.
Several TV stations sympathetic to the Brotherhood have been
taken off the air, and a state-owned printing press is said to be
refusing to print a newspaper run by the FJP.
Protesters accused the Muslim Brotherhood of pursuing an Islamist agenda and of failing to tackle Egypt's economic problems.
Fighter jets trailing smoke drew love hearts in Cairo's
smoggy skies on Thursday in apparent celebration of the military's role
in ousting Mr Morsi's government.
Army's post-Morsi roadmap
- Constitution to be suspended temporarily and interim president sworn in
- "Strong and competent" civilian technocratic government to be installed
- Supreme Court to pass a draft law on parliamentary election and prepare for parliamentary and presidential polls
- "Charter of honour" to be drawn up and followed by the media
- Measures taken to empower young people and a national reconciliation committee to be formed
But across the city, his
despondent supporters staged sit-ins in protest at what many are calling
a betrayal of the democratic process.
'Spirit of revolution'
Mr Mansour was sworn in as chief justice of the Supreme
Constitutional Court on Thursday morning, then, shortly after, he took
the oath to become interim head of state, vowing to "preserve the system
of the republic, and respect the constitution and law, and guard the
people's interests".
He said he would safeguard "the spirit of the revolution"
which removed Hosni Mubarak from power in 2011, and would "put an end to
the idea of worshipping the leader".
He held out an apparent olive branch to the Muslim
Brotherhood, saying they were "part of this people and are invited to
participate in building the nation".
Mr Mansour said fresh elections were "the only way" forward, but gave no indication of when they would be held. The army's roadmap for the post-Morsi era includes:
- Suspension of the constitution
- A civilian, transitional technocratic government
- Supreme Constitutional Court to prepare for presidential and parliamentary elections
- A "charter of honour" to be drawn up and followed by national media
Events in Egypt have divided international opinion, with
the US, UK and UN among those expressing concern and calling for a
swift return to civilian rule.
Others, such as Turkey and Tunisia, have been more forthright in their condemnation of the way Mr Morsi has been ousted.
Yet others, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab
Emirates - as well as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad - have welcomed
the turn of events.
The recent mass protests that led to the army's intervention
were called by the Tamarod (Rebel) movement, which said it had collected
a 22-million strong petition demanding Mr Morsi stand down.
Mr Morsi became Egypt's first Islamist president on 30 June
2012, after winning an election considered free and fair following the
2011 revolution that toppled Mubarak.
However his term in office was marred by constant political unrest and a sinking economy.
His moves to entrench Islamic laws and concentrate power in
the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood also alienated liberals and
secularists.