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Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy didn't back off the controversial edict he issued or Egypt's upcoming constitutional referendum, saying Thursday night that he respects peaceful opposition to his decisions but won't stand for violence, CNN reported. 

Addressing "those who oppose me" and his supporters, Morsy condemned those involved in recent clashes -- referring specifically to those armed with weapons and who are backed and funded by members of the "corrupt ... ex-regime" -- and promised they'd be held accountable.

"(They) will not escape punishment," the president said in a televised speech.

Morsy's words not only failed to mollify many protesters on the streets, it further enraged them. Activists camped in Cairo's Tahrir Square chanted "Leave! Leave! Leave!" as the president talked.

And minutes after the speech ended, the Muslim Brotherhood headquarters in Cairo was "ablaze," state TV reported, citing witnesses. The Islamist group said on its website and Twitter that the building came under "a terrorist attack," with hundreds were surrounding it.

Yet by 1 a.m. Friday, there was no sign of a fire or significant damage to the building. Supporters from both sides were at the site, as were security forces between them and the headquarters.

Jihad Haddad, a senior adviser in the Freedom and Justice Party, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood that Morsy once led, wrote on Twitter that 36 Brotherhood and party offices were "destroyed" by opponents in the last two weeks. Banned under longtime President Hosni Mubarak, the Brotherhood is now Egypt's dominant political force.

On Twitter, the Islamist group has said it would hold opposition figures "fully responsible for escalation of violence & inciting their supporters."

Adel Saeed, a spokesman for Egypt's newly appointed general prosecutor, said Friday morning that Hamdeen Sabahi, Mohamed ElBaradei and Amr Moussa are being investigated for allegedly "conspiring to topple" the government. All three are well-known internationally -- with ElBaradei being a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Moussa a one-time head of the Arab League -- and are now being probed for their role in the opposition against Morsy, who defeated all three in this year's presidential election.

Those taking part in the protests around the North African nation say the scenes are similar to those of the 2011 uprising that led to Mubarak's ouster. This time, they say, dissent is being vigorously stamped out by Morsy's backers in government and on the street.

Specifically, they spoke of thugs with knives and rocks chasing activists, presidential backers belittling opponents and pressure from various quarters to go home and be quiet.

"It's exactly the same battle," said Hasan Amin, a CNN iReporter.