The story began when a Copt in Khosous lit up a cigarette in public during the hours of the Muslim fast in Ramadan. It was before sunset, and Muslims break their fast only at sunset. Two Muslims criticised the Copt, a verbal fight followed, a crowd gathered, and the matter escalated to a street fight in which firearms were used.
The outcome was the death of two Muslims–it was not declared whether or not they were the men who first initiated the fight–and injury of three.
The police arrived at the scene of the fight and caught two Copts, the skmoker and his brother. Investigations are ongoing.
Khosous Copts fear collective retaliation against them by the town Muslims. In a sectarian incident in 2012, Khosous Muslims attacked the Copts and killed six men.
