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The military, meanwhile, was becoming increasingly impatient with the failure of Mubarak and Omar Suleiman, his newly appointed vice president, to end the protests. The unrest spiraled out of control Thursday and Friday, with demonstrations, strikes, sit-ins and even gunbattles engulfing almost the entire nation.

When Mohamed al-Sayed, a labor leader at an aluminum factory, was hauled in by military interrogators about organizing strikes at the plant, he was surprised to find Mr. Mubarak’s framed portrait still hanging on the wall. (An addendum to the lawsuit over the name would require all pictures to come down, too.) One army officer told Mr. Sayed that Mr. Mubarak remained the supreme commander of the armed forces. (Although the president handed over the running of the country to a military council, the lack of any known letter of resignation means he might technically remain the head of state.)