Egyptian protesters climbed the walls of the American embassy in Cairo on Tuesday and pulled down the US flag to protest a recently-produced movie which they deemed offensive to the Prophet Mohammad, local media reported.

Instead of the US flag, protesters attempted to raise a black flag with the words "There is no god but Allah and Mohammad is his messenger".

The flag in question is also associated with Al-Qaeda.

US Guards reportedly fired warning shots into the air to disperse the crowd of approximately 2,000 people.