Heavy security near the state television building in Cairo, scene of deadly clashes last night between Coptic Christians and military police.
Egypt's health ministry has said 25 people were killed and 272 injured in the violence, some of the worst since the January and February uprising.
Christians protesting against an attack on a church set cars on fire and threw rocks at military police, though they say they were attacked by security forces first.
Cairo residents expressed dismay at the violence.
(SOUNDBITE)(Arabic) EGYPTIAN MAN, WADIH GUIRGIS IBRAHIM:
"With regards to what happened yesterday, there are two - were two mistakes. The first mistake is that the Copts should have expected that they would be attacked and that they would then be blamed themselves, and this is something that the wise people should have understood and told them about. Number two, what happened, happened. But when it did, the army is supposed to protect the people, not attack them."
Some residents say the apparent sectarian nature of the attacks does not reflect the religious pluralism in Egypt.
(SOUNDBITE)(Arabic) EGYPTIAN MAN, MAHMOUD HILMI MUHAMED:
"We as Muslims built the church for them in Atfiya, a lot of Muslims took part in the building of the church. Muslims don't mean any harm to the churches. Thank God, this is the city of a thousand minarets, as the saying goes, so we are not concerned about a few churches."
Whilst filming in the area, a Reuters television crew was attacked by a group of teenage boys.
The violence casts a shadow over the upcoming parliamentary election, with candidates due to begin registering this week.
Nick Rowlands, Reuters.