A wave of strikes added to the chaos in Egypt tonight with thousands walking out of their state jobs in support of anti-government protests.

Anti-government protesters were angered today by a warning from Egypt’s vice president Omar Suleiman that unless they joined talks the country could fall to a coup.

Egypt’s leading pro-reform advocate and Nobel peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei plans to return to his country to take part in anti-government protests, his spokesman said today.