Not a good day to be an Islamist in Egypt.

(Reuters) – After six weeks of posturing and threats, the Egyptian military followed through on its vow to clear demonstrators from streets, executing a crackdown on Wednesday that killed at least 250 Egyptians and wounded hundreds.

The latest round of bloodshed began when the army cleared protesters from Cairo’s two largest pro-Morsi encampments with lethal force, arresting all those who were armed. Top Brotherhood politicians were arrested as the crackdown unfolded.

Muslim Brotherhood protesters vowed to disobey the military and continue their resistance in the name of ousted president Mohamed Morsi – who remains in custody after being forcibly removed from power on July 3 – leading to widespread clashes with authorities.

As a result of the violence, the military announced a nationwide state of emergency, doing so for the first time since the fall of longtime former president Hosni Mubarak more than two years ago.

The bloodshed also prompted Vice President Mohamed ElBaradei, the civilian face of the interim government, to resign on Wednesday. He spoke to US Secretary of State John Kerry by phone to inform the US of his decision.