The dead body of the Copt Medhat Habib Henein, 27, who lives in the Minya town of Mallawi, was found on the side of a road that joins the Western Desert highway at the village of Tunal-Gabal 25km west of Mallawi
The dead body of the Copt Medhat Habib Henein, 27, who lives in the Minya town of Mallawi, was found on the side of a road that joins the Western Desert highway at the village of Tunal-Gabal 25km west of Mallawi. The body carried gunshot wounds and injuries on the head caused by sharp instruments. It is not yet known how or why the killing occurred, but an autopsy is being conducted and a police investigation is taking place.
Dozens of Islamists who support the ousted Muslim Brotherhood (MB) president Muhammad Mursi this morning attacked churches in the Minya district of Matai in Upper Egypt.
Two MB men, Ramadan Abdel-Hamid Hashim and Abdel-Gawwad Younis, who had been among pro-Mursi demonstrators were killed by gunshot on Saturday. Their bodies were brought to the town of Matai for where a funeral service was held for them Sunday morning. As the funeral procession, which was shouting Islamic slogans, passed through the streets of the town they had to pass by the Matai bishopric of Mar-Girgis (St George). They pelted the church with stones but could not break into its iron gates.
The bodies were then driven to their home village of Kom Hamada where a similar attack was attempted against the local church of Mar-Morqos (St Mark).
Also in Minya, two other attacks took place against churches during the day before. In the village of Dalaga in Deir Muwwas, Minya, Mursi supporters waged an attack with rocks and stones and Molotov cocktails against a guesthouse owned by the Coptic Catholic church of Mar-Girgis, and the Coptic Orthodox church of St Mary and Anba Abra’am. The Muslim villagers who live close to the churches stood up to the Islamists and rescued the churches.
Fr Silwanis Lutfi of St Mary’s said the police caught 13 persons suspected of having led the attacks.
This was the second time the Mar-Girgis guesthouse in Dalaga is attacked. The first was on 4 July when a pro-Mursi mob broke into the building, plundered and ruined it and finally set it on fire. The priest, Fr Ayoub, who resides there, was rescued by the neighbours who let him flee through the adjacent rooftops.
Watani International
28 July 2013