Two men died of gunshot wounds on Tuesday afternoon after security forces dispersed a demonstration in Beni Suef. The two sides issued differing narratives of the events.
A group of 500 demonstrators “belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood” attacked an armed forces security patrol outside the Beni Suef mosque in the city of Beni Suef, said the armed forces in a statement on Wednesday.
The security forces then fired shots into the air in an attempt to disperse the demonstrators, said the armed forces statement. It also reported that four men were taken to hospital wounded by live ammunition and birdshot, two of which died from their injuries. One man fled from the hospital after receiving treatment for his wounds.
The armed forces insisted that the security forces only fired into the air and “did not target the demonstrators directly.”
The Brotherhood also confirmed on Wednesday that two men had died following the incident, but claims the security forces shot directly at the demonstrators. The group also claims that a 16 year old girl was shot with a live bullet resulting in her foot needing to be amputated.
The armed forces statement provided detailed timings of the events, saying that despite the dispersal of the demonstration ending at 4.30pm the four injured men were brought to the hospital at different times. The first arrived at 5pm, the second at 5.15pm, the third at 5.30pm and the last at 5.40pm. The armed forces also pointed out that the incident took place “150-200 metres” away from the Beni Suef General Hospital.
The armed forces said a committee would be formed to investigate the incident and “take the necessary measures to find out the truth of the incident.”
