The family of the 13-year-old boy who was yesterday kidnapped in front of the church of Anba Pola in the north Cairo district of Shubral-Kheima is still waiting out news of their son whose kidnappers demanded EGP2 million in ransom
The family of the 13-year-old boy who was yesterday kidnapped in front of the church of Anba Pola in the north Cairo district of Shubral-Kheima is still waiting out news of their son whose kidnappers demanded EGP2 million in ransom.
The boy, Abanoub Ashraf al-Khawaga, was kidnapped by four men armed with automatic guns and driving in a silver-coloured Kia car in front of the church on Sunday morning. Holy Mass was being held inside when the men in the car fired some six shots, caught Abanoub, and drove away at maddening speed hitting several passersby on the way.
The young men around the church were able to pick the car licence number and called the police.
The kidnappers contacted the boy’s father who is a prosperous trader in Shubral-Kheims and demanded a million Egyptian Pounds in ransom, which they later raised to EGP2 million and threatened to kill the boy should the father go to the police.
Father Pola, the priest of Anba Pola’s, said that the church had filed a complaint with the police and demanded police protection since, according to the complaint, such incidents scare off the congregation and make it unsafe for them to worship.
A Qalyubiya security source insisted that the incident was criminal not sectarian, and that the security authorities were working to find the boy and bring him home safely.
Watani International
1 April 2013