11 charged with involvement in Minya sectarian violence

Prosecutor General Hesham Barakat has sentenced 11 defendants to 15 days imprisonment pending investigations in their possible involvement in the events of sectarian violence, which occurred in Bani Ahmad in Minya and resulted in one death and several injured.

The prosecution accused the defendants of murder and attempted murder for the purposes of terrorism, arson, bullying and intimidation, as well as possession of firearms and ammunition without a license.

At least three houses were burned and 15 people injured in sectarian clashes in Bani Ahmed village, in the Upper Egyptian governorate of Minya last Saturday.

The clashes appear to have begun after an argument between a Muslim and a Copt in a coffee shop, state news agency MENA reported.

The quarrel intensified as they started using knives, which led to the involvement of others escalating into violence that included the use of live ammunition.

Police and Central Security Forces used tear gas to disperse the crowd by which time three homes had already been set ablaze in the Christian-majority village.

General Minya Hospital and Minya University Hospital received 15 injured, including a policeman and three security personnel. Most injuries were caused by suffocation due to tear gas inhalation.

Sectarian clashes in Minya also occurred on July 3 following Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s speech ousting President Mohamed Morsi from power.