The army was aided by police and plain-clothes officials, presumably from Suleiman's secret police. They claimed they only fired blanks.
It is not clear if the raid was to disperse the crowd or to retrieve army personnel who had defected to the protesters.
Here's are two good reports of the violence:
http://www.yalibnan.com/2011/04/09/egyptian-soldiers-attack-tahrir-square-protesters/
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/20114921821599558.html
And here an excellent round-up of media coverage:
http://firedoglake.com/2011/02/26/tahrir-in-barbed-wire-as-army-attacks-egyptian-protesters/
And here a video of the attack:
The moment critique of any revolution comes when those groups of armed enforcers--army, police, secret services--are ordered to use lethal force to disperse or repel defiant demonstrators. When they do, as in the Russian Revolution of 1905, the rebellion is defeated. When they refuse, as in the Russian Revolution of 1917, it succeeds, at least for a while. In February, the Egyptian Army was ordered not to disrupt the protests, as it was hoped that the removal of the detested Mubarak would placate the protesters. In this new case, with the counterrevolution in full sway, the orders the street soldiers will receive will not be the same. Much is at stake for imperial interests now, as Egypt goes so goes the entire oil-rich Arab world. The revolutionaries have showed great resolve, their determination has been impressive. They have been an inspiration, but ahead lies a minefield. For the revolution to succeed, they must win the support of rank and file soldiers. Then the new revolutionary government must be able to withstand the assault that will certainly come from reactionary forces abroad. In order to survive this onslaught, they will need help. The new revolutionary Egyptian government could not hold up under siege from the combined forces of the US, UK, and Israel. Their only hope will be that the respective populations of those nations rise up in protest and manage to thwart the attack. An awful lot has to go right for Egypt's revolution to prevail, and the odds are not in their favor. But with the near universal disgust with the West's many incursions into Arab lands, there is a chance, admittedly quite slim, that critical mass may be achieved.
Inshallah!
In solidarity with our brave Egyptian comrades!
