CAIRO: Four Coptic jewelry shop workers were killed Wednesday and one was injured after being shot by two men in wigs and sunglasses, in a rare act of bloodshed in the capital.
The victims have been identified as Makram Azer, the owner of the store, as well as Hemaya Makram, Amir Khalil and Boulis Helmy, who work in the store.
Zakaria Wagdy was injured in the shootout and is currently in critical condition.
The shooting happened at around 12:30 pm in the mixed Christian-Muslim district of Zeitoun in northeast Cairo, officials and eyewitnesses said, adding that the attackers escaped without stealing anything from the shop.
Authorities told Daily News Egypt that they are investigating a murder, “not an incident of sectarian violence.
Investigations are undergoing.
Mohamed El-Garhy, one of the eyewitnesses who owns a nearby furniture store, told Daily News Egypt that he ran outside as soon as he heard gunshots, and found the five victims lying on the floor when he arrived on the scene. One of them, said El-Garhy, appeared to be alive.
He called the police, who arrived shortly after. The ambulance arrived 45 minutes later.
The owner of a hair salon in the same area was one of the first on the scene.
He told Daily News Egypt that he rushed to the jewelry store upon hearing the gunshots to find two masked men wearing wigs and black sunglasses making their getaway on motorbike. He chased them with his car, but quickly lost them in the crowd.
“Preliminary investigations show that the motivation behind the attack could have been revenge, an official told AFP, adding that the owner had frequent disputes with local residents.
Speaking to Daily News Egypt, one of the victims’ relatives ruled out the possibility that this was an act of sectarian violence, stressing that Muslims and Christians in the area enjoy a good relationship.
Police, who swiftly cordoned off the area, found 15 shell casings at the scene, the official said.
Cairo’s Zeitoun district is a famed pilgrimage site where, according to witness accounts, the Virgin Mary appeared above the Church of Saint Mary over a period of several years in the late 1960s.
The apparitions were seen by millions including Copts, Muslims, Jews and atheists. -With additional reporting by AFP.
