Three schools in the village of Manshat Minbal in Mattai, Minya, Upper Egypt, closed for three consecutive days in the wake of the kidnapping of a 13-year-old Coptic boy, Antonius N. H. in front of the school gate on the morning of Tuesday 3 April. Antonius was surrounded by unknown men and forced into a waiting black limousine as his assailants fired shots in the air to frighten away anyone who could come to his rescue. The car then speeded away with the boy on board.
Even though the teachers and staff of the three village schools were in school on the days following the kidnapping, the terrified parents kept their children home.
Hany Yusri, spokesperson of the Education Ministry in Minya, said the Ministry was closely coordinating with the local security authorities to secure the schools and work to bring back the kidnapped child.
Watani International
9 April 2016