Cairo’s Shubra On Edge Following Arrest Of Salafist Activist’s Son

Police on Tuesday arrested the son of Gamal Saber, a leading campaigner for former Salafist presidential candidate Hazem Abu-Ismail, on charges of killing a 15-year-old boy.

On Monday night, some 200 people, including the relatives of 15-year-old Saad Dorra, clashed with relatives and associates of Saber – whose son has been accused of killing the young man – in Cairo’s Shubra district.

Dorra was reportedly killed on Monday during a football match in a Shubra high school.

According to Al-Ahram’s Arabic-language news website, the clashes – in which combatants used shotguns loaded with birdshot, Molotov cocktails and bladed weapons – left three dead.

In the ensuing violence, dozens of cars were reportedly damaged and several shops attacked.

Shubra residents hailed the arrest, with a number of them forming human chains around the police station in which Saber’s son was being held to prevent attempts to secure his release, Al-Ahram reported.

Egypt has suffered deteriorating public security since the second anniversary of the 25 January 2011 revolution, which was followed by intermittent clashes across the country.

Public prosecutors are currently investigating Dorra’s death, along with the subsequent clashes on Monday night.

Ahram