Fresh clashes have broken out between Egyptian security forces and hundreds of protesters in the northeastern city of Port Said.

On Tuesday, police fired in air and attacked the protesters with tear gas to disperse demonstrators who had gathered in front of a government building.

Port Said has witnessed violent protests since January. The unrest erupted after the detention of dozens of people in connection with a deadly soccer riot back in 2012. At least six people have been killed and hundreds more wounded since the latest wave of violence unfolded on Sunday.

Reports coming out of Cairo say the government is now considering giving the military full control to defuse tensions in Port Said.

The Egyptian Interior Ministry said in a Monday statement that clashes erupted between police and protesters on Sunday when authorities decided to move nearly 40 prisoners, who are waiting for a verdict over alleged involvement in the fatal football riot.

The verdict for the 39 defendants is set to be delivered on March 9.

In January, a court in Egypt sentenced 21 people to death for their role in the soccer disaster. The football verdict led to violent clashes that claimed the lives of at least 40 people.

Unrest has hit Egypt since a few months ago. Egyptian protesters want President Mohamed Morsi to pursue the goals of the revolution that toppled the former dictator Hosni Mubarak in 2011.