Police Intervene In Upper Egyptian Village After Copt Is Killed

Police forces have on Friday evening cordonned off a village in Upper Egypt’s Minya governorate after a Copt was shot dead in a fight with Muslims, according to the Anadolu Turkish news agency.

The victim, Magdy Mounir, was killed during a fight in Deir Pasha village during sectarian tensions which erupted after unknown individuals erased a picture of an imam off a poster titled “Hand in Hand”.

The poster was produced by an anti-sectarian NGO displaying an imam and priest locking arms to signify national unity.

Egypt has been witnessing a rise in sectarian attacks on Copts in recent years.

The most recent sectarian attack involved a mob assault on the Saint Mark Cathedral in Cairo’s Abbasiya in April during a funeral for 4 Copts killed in sectarian clashes in Upper Egypt.

Police also fired teargas at the church complex during the attack, stirring the anger of many Copts.

Ahram