Egypt

Uncategorized

Three men shot at crowd after church service

By the editorial team

Share article

On 06.01.10, three men fired into the crowd after a church service in the city of Nag Hammadi, killing seven and wounding nine. At an emergency security court convened on 13.02.10 in the town of Qena, the men pleaded not guilty to premeditated murder, endangering others and damaging property. The next court hearing is 20.03.10. In a move that Christian leaders say was intended to quell protests by the Coptic community, police went door-to-door and arrested young Coptic men. Reports on the number of arrests vary widely, but 15 arrests have been confirmed. Early on 08.01.10, people from the State Security Service entered Tanios Samuel's home looking for another house. When they realized they were wrong, they arrested his brothers, Fady Milad Samuel, 21, and Wael Milad Samuel, 24.

"We are the Copts. It's their land, they can do what they want," said Tanios Samuel about the incident. "The government is using my brothers and the others arrested as hostages to silence opponents. The families are very afraid of violence. They get constant threats. All we want is peace."