A security source from Fayoum said that the monk Boulos al-Rayani, whose original name is Maher Aziz Hanna, from the Monastery of Anba Macarius al-Sakandari known as Wadi al-Rayan Monastery, was arrested on the 17 March on account of a complaint by the Arab Contractors Company accusing him of burning a loader owned by the company. The loader was parked outside the illegally built fencing wall of the monastery, and had demolished part of the wall. Fr Boulos and a number of other monks objected to the demolition and attempted to rebuild the wall, and Fr Boulos set fire to the loader.
The security source said that upon arrest of Fr Boulos, it was found out that there there were several court rulings against him with prison sentences that totalled 30 years in prison, for several charges among them State-owned land and resisting authorities.
The dispute around the 5th century cave monastery in Wadi al-Rayan goes back to 2014 and involves conflict with the Coptic Orthodox Church and encroachment on State-owned land.
Watani International
18 March 2016