THE United States has advised its citizens to keep away from Martin Place and Hyde Park this weekend amid fears of another outbreak of anti-American violence.

The deputy Police Commissioner, Nick Kaldas, said yesterday he had no intelligence to suggest there would be protests this weekend, but the Herald has learnt a special operation is in place to ensure there is no repeat of last Saturday’s unrest.

Officers from 10 squads, including mounted police, the dog unit and riot squad, will be supported by the force’s helicopter as part of Operation Waterman over the weekend.

There have been messages circulating on Facebook encouraging further retaliation against the anti-Islamic film Innocence of Muslims and the police who quelled last week’s demonstration.

And a letter, titled ”Emergency Message for US Citizens” and sent to all those registered with the US consulate, states that ”law enforcement authorities” have warned of possible demonstrations tomorrow or Sunday.

”Fast-forming anti-American protests in Australia remain possible,” the letter states.

A similar warning has been issued in 33 other countries including Afghanistan, Egypt, Indonesia and Lebanon. One US citizen living in Sydney said he had never received such a specific warning in his five years overseas.

And the publication of cartoons of a naked Prophet Mohammed in a French magazine has prompted the French consulate in Sydney and the embassy in Canberra to increase security measures.

Police said last night that Sydney remained ”one of the safest cities in the world” and the city centre would be open for tourists and locals this weekend.

However, one message posted by a Muslim woman on Facebook has attracted hundreds of comments and states: ”This Sunday 23 September 1 pm at Hyde Park we can all bring own pepper spray!”

Another says: ”This Sunday at Hyde Park 23 September we show the kufar [non-believers] what we can do again!”

Some of the country’s most senior Muslim leaders met police yesterday to affirm their support for the police actions during and after the protests.

The grand mufti of Australia, Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohamed, who has never fronted the media in such a way, said Muslims who wanted to protest again were turning themselves from ”victim to criminal”.

Their show of support for the police is likely to anger some Muslims who have insisted police baited protesters in Hyde Park and responded heavy-handedly.

Meanwhile, claims by a controversial sheikh that he had nothing to do with the protest have been slammed by a Muslim activist, Jamal Daoud, as ”cheap lies”.

After days of speculation that he or his students were linked to the protests, Sheikh Feiz Mohammad broke his silence yesterday to tell the Muslim Village website that the protests were ”against every facet and tenor of the Islamic teachings” and that none of his students was involved.

But Mr Daoud, a refugee advocate, said the majority of violent protesters came from the mosques and musallahs of ”extreme Wahabi sheikhs” like Sheik Feiz and Sheikh Abdel Salam Zoud.

Ahmed Elomar, one of the men arrested over the riot, was a former student of Sheikh Feiz and messages urging people to go to the rally were posted in forums for the Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama’ah group that Sheikh Feiz leads.

Police last night charged a ninth person over the weekend riots. A 19-year-old man was charged with affray and throwing missiles at police and was granted bail to appear in court next month.