CAIRO: At least 10 people were wounded Saturday in clashes near the Giza suburb of Manial Shiha between residents and armed security guarding a villa owned by businessman Salah Diab, according to news reports.
The dispute began Saturday morning when hundreds of disgruntled residents gathered around the villa to protest the construction of a high concrete wall surrounding it.
The initial verbal spat between the residents and Diab, a major shareholder in Al Masry Al Youm daily newspaper, quickly turned into a shooting brawl, with the number of protesting residents swelling to 2,000.
News reports claim that security guards first fired shots in the air then randomly at the residents, leading to the storming and sacking of the villa.
Police and army forces later intervened to resolve the escalating clashes, and removed Diab from the scene in an armoured vehicle.
Diab is currently in custody of the military prosecution, pending ongoing investigations into reportedly firing on residents.
Mixed reports have been given regarding the wall, with some claiming that the residents were protesting because it exceeded 15-meter maximum height by some 10-20 meters; while others claimed that it was because the irrigation of the trees around the villa led to structural damage in nearby buildings.
In addition, the location of the wall itself was questioned, as it was constructed outside the villa grounds, but on property recently acquired by Diab.
Local residents had previously filed official complaints against the construction of the wall, but officials had responded that Diab was “building on his own property.”
Diab reportedly raised the wall in response to the addition of one level in a nearby building that allegedly invaded the privacy of Diab’s villa.
Diab was unavailable for comment by press time.
