Egyptian security forces are firing tear gas at a crowd of angry protesters near the US embassy in Cairo. Some 30 protesters were injured and 12 arrested, journalists on Twitter quoted the Egyptian Interior Ministry as saying.

Hundreds of protesters are gathering outside the US embassy in Cairo and hurling stones at security personnel, who are retaliating by firing tear gas and warning shots at the crowd.

On Wednesday, several hundred protesters rallied in front of the embassy, chanting "leave Egypt" and demanding that the US apologize for an American-made film that mocks Islam's Prophet Muhammad.

Dozens of riot police were then deployed in the area to contain the demonstrators and divert them into side streets. Clashes continued into the night, with protesters throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at police.

Some of the protesters were injured, state news agency MENA reported. Witnesses wrote on Twitter that as many as several dozen people may have been injured. At least six police officers suffered injuries during the clashes, said Alla Mahmoud, a spokesperson for Egypt's Interior Ministry.

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© Reuters/Amr Abdallah DalshA protester throws a tear gas canister, which was earlier thrown by riot police, during clashes along a road which leads to the U.S. embassy, near Tahrir Square in Cairo September 13, 2012.
The incident comes just a day after some 2,000 demonstrators massed around the US embassy; a group of the protesters tore down the US flag and replaced it with a black banner bearing the traditional Islamic message, "There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His Prophet."

Four participants in Tuesday's demonstration who scaled the embassy wall were arrested and transferred to the prosecutor's office. Police are still searching for others involved in the incident.

The now-notorious movie Innocence of Muslims has sparked a wave of similar protests across the Arab world. On Tuesday, armed militants attacked the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, killing the ambassador and three other diplomatic staffers.

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© Reuters/Amr Abdallah DalshRiot policemen take their positions during clashes with protesters along a road which leads to the U.S. embassy, near Tahrir Square in Cairo September 13, 2012.
President Barack Obama strongly condemned the killings, pledging that the US would be "relentless" in its pursuit of the attackers. Following the incident, the US military deployed two warships to the coast of Libya and sent a team of some 50 Marines to the country to reinforce security at American diplomatic facilities.

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi vowed not to tolerate attacks on diplomatic missions, and said that Egyptians reject such unlawful acts, the AP reported.
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© Reuters/Amr Abdallah DalshRiot policemen throw stones and tear gas during clashes with protesters along a road which leads to the U.S. embassy, near Tahrir Square in Cairo September 13, 2012.

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© Reuters/Amr Abdallah DalshA protester has his eyes doused with milk after tear gas was fired during clashes with riot police .

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© Agence France-Presse/Ahmed MahmudA car in flames is seen near graffiti reading in Arabic, “I sacrifice my soul, my father and my mother for the prophet of God”.