Rioters set fire to Copt shops

ANGRY Muslims attacked and destroyed shops owned by Coptic Christians yesterday in a town in southern Egypt that has been witnessing sectarian tensions, a police official said.

The attackers hurled stones and set fire to several shops, smashed windows of a church and damaged two cars in the early morning hours before the shops in Isna were opened for business, said the police official.

Police detained 15 people suspected of taking part in the attacks in Isna, located about 560km south of Cairo, he said.

The riots followed reports that two Coptic Christians pulled down the veil of a Muslim woman in a car park on Saturday evening. Dozens of Muslims started to gather in protest early yesterday, but police managed to disperse them.

Police blocked all main streets leading to the town, but witnesses said some people managed to attack the shops in two of the town’s streets. Peace returned to the town after several hours of rioting, they said.

Earlier this week, dozens of Muslims went on a rampage following rumours of an attempted abduction and sexual assault of a teenage Muslim girl by some Coptic Christians. The rioters hurled stones and smashed windows of a pharmacy where they suspected the Copts forced the girl to have sex with them.

On Thursday, police arrested two Coptic Christians suspected of taking part in the abduction of the girl. They were ordered detained for 15 days on charges related to sectarian tensions.