"In light of the events of the last two days, the Brotherhood has decided to participate only in a symbolic protest in Tahrir Square, so that there is no more destruction to property, or injuries, or deaths, as has happened in the past," the group's secretary general Mahmud Hussein said in a statement.

Thousands had protested angrily outside the American embassy on Tuesday against a low-budget US film the "Innocence of Muslims" which ridicules the Prophet Mohammed, with one group scaling the embassy wall and tearing down the flag.

Since then small groups of demonstrators many of whom in their teens or even young children have been clashing with police and security forces trying to keep them away from the US mission.

On Wednesday the Brotherhood had called for nationwide protests outside the main mosques in all of Egypt's 27 provinces "to denounce offences to religion and to the Prophet."