EGYPT GUNMEN OPEN FIRE ON COPTIC CHRISTIAN WEDDING IN CAIRO

Cairo, 16 Dhul Hijja 1434/21 October 2013 ( MINA ) – Four people, including a girl aged eight, died when gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on a wedding party outside a Coptic Christian church in Cairo, Sunday night (20/10).

The masked assailants shot randomly at the people as they left the church, the sources said. It was not immediately clear if those killed were Christians, they said, as Egypt  Independent reported as quoted by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).

Security forces in Beheira on Monday arrested a number of suspects believed to have been involved in a fatal attack on a church in a north Cairo neighbourhood which left four dead and dozens injured on Sunday night.

Major General Hani Abdel Latif, spokesperson for the Interior Ministry, said security forces had intensified efforts to arrest the assailants.

He added that there are three Muslims among the 18 people injured, which shows that the attack was not sectarian in nature. The three received bullets in the stomach.

Abdel Latif added that security forces have begun hearing testimonies to gather descriptions of the attackers, who rode past a wedding ceremony in Warraq and Sunday night on opened fire on the congregation outside.

Major General Mohamed al-Sharqawy, head of Giza Investigations, said several suspects have been arrested after hearing the testimonies of eyewitnesses, the families of the victims and the victims themselves.

Coptic Christians make up 10 percent of Egypt’s 85 million people, and have generally coexisted peacefully with majority Muslims for centuries.(T/P03/P04)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)