US hatches Mubarak exit strategy as Egypt death toll mounts

• Mubarak: 'If I resign today there will be chaos'

• 10 dead and hundreds injured in fresh crackdown

• Protesters have dubbed today 'departure Friday'

Protesters carry away an injured companion in Tahrir square in Cairo. Photograph: Khaled Elfiqi/EPA

The Obama administration is working on a plan in which the Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, would stand down immediately in spite of claims yesterday he was intent on clinging on to power until the elections in the autumn.

The White House, the state department and the Pentagon have been involved in discussions that include an option in which Mubarak would given way to a transitional government headed by the Egyptian vice-president, Omar Suleiman. Such a plan has the backing of the Egyptian military, the New York Times reported.

Anti-government protesters are hoping they can force Mubarak from office today, a day they have dubbed "departure Friday". Fridays after midday prayers is traditionally an explosive point in Middle Eastcountries, with masses taking to the streets after attendance at mosques.

But Mubarak was defiant yesterday, insisting that he intended remaining in office until the autumn election. He said that while he was fed up after six decades of public service and wanted to leave, he feared that an early departure would lead to chaos.

In his first major interview since protests began, Mubarak told America's ABC News: "I am fed up. After 62 years in public service, I have had enough. I want to go."

Mubarak expressed no sense of betrayal over Barack Obama's call on Tuesday for him to begin the transition to democracy "now". But there was a hint of resentment when he said Obama did not understand Egyptian culture and the trouble that would ensue if he left office immediately. "If I resign today, there will be chaos," he told ABC's Christiane Amanpour.

But behind-the-scenes the Obama administration is in contact withEgypt's most senior military commanders as well as those politicians under Mubarak discussing a plan in which the Egyptian president would stand straight away.

Earlier, Suleiman offered political concessions, inviting the long-banned Muslim Brotherhood to a dialogue. However, the Islamist movement and other parties have refused to talk until Mubarak steps down.

The Egyptian regime appeared to have dug in today, defying international pressure to begin an immediate transfer of power while launching attacks on journalists and human rights observers, a move condemned unreservedly by the US.

The Egyptian government's readiness to negotiate, following Mubarak's own promise not to run for re-election in September, also failed to stem the pressure for faster and more radical change from anti-government protesters on the streets of Egypt's cities and from other world leaders.

Ten people were reported dead and 800 injured yesterday at the focal point of the struggle, Tahrir Square in Cairo, after the president's supporters mounted attacks on the crowd of protesters.

The army made sporadic attempts to separate the two sides , swivelling the gun turrets of their tanks in an effort to disperse the skirmishing groups and pushing pro-Mubarak groups off a bridge over Tahrir Square, but the troops did not intervene decisively. Clashes with stones, petrol bombs and gunshots continued throughout the day.

Meanwhile, pro-government mobs tracked down and beat Egyptian and international television crews and reporters, forcing their vehicles off the roads and besieging their bureaux and hotels.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said correspondents from CNN, Associated Press and al-Arabiya television were among those attacked. The Qatar-based al-Jazeera, which has been ordered to cease broadcasting from Egypt, said three of its reporters had been arrested and one was missing. Dozens more journalists were detained.

"The Egyptian government is employing a strategy of eliminating witnesses to their actions," said Mohamed Abdel Dayem, the regional coordinator of the Committee to Protect Journalists, reflecting fears that the crack-down presaged an all-out attack on the protesters.

The US administration also denounced what it described as "systematic targeting" of the media. The US state department spokesman, PJ Crowley, said: "There is a concerted campaign to intimidate journalists in Cairo and interfere with their reporting. We condemn such actions."

Human rights workers were also detained when police raided a law centre in Cairo. Staff from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch were among those picked up and their whereabouts were unknown.

The government combined the crack-down with political concessions aimed at drawing the sting from the revolt. The prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq, acknowledged that the attacks on anti-government protesters "seemed to have been organised", and promised an investigation.

Suleiman, the newly appointed vice-president, said Mubarak's son, Gamal, would not stand for the presidency this year, as had been expected. He added that he had invited the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been banned throughout Mubarak's 30-year reign, to join a dialogue on Egypt's future. But he said the group had been "hesitant" to take part. The Muslim Brotherhood and most of the secular opposition are demanding Mubarak's resignation as a precondition for negotiations.

The vice-president repeatedly insisted that any political changes could not be rushed. It would take 70 days to explore constitutional amendments, he said.

However, a chorus of foreign leaders called for more immediate action. David Cameron issued a joint statement with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Spain, saying: "Only a quick and orderly transition to a broad-based government will make it possible to overcome the challenges Egypt is now facing. That transition process must start now."

They echoed Obama's plea for rapid change, but like him stopped short of calling for Mubarak's immediate resignation.

The UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, went further. Speaking to journalists in London, he said: "I'm not sure President Mubarak's announcement will satisfy the demands of his people. If there is a need for change, it should happen now."