Dozens were detained and the surroundings of a Luxor village were cordoned off following a dispute between local residents and police officers in Al-A’shie village.
According to local journalist Mohamed Nour, 17 were referred to prosecution over the previous night’s clashes while the majority of detainees were released without charge.
On Friday night, a security checkpoint at the centre of the village stopped two teenagers on a motorbike, which led to an argument with the residents who witnessed the incident as the officer insisted on detaining two 14-year-old teenagers instead of filing a ticket or confiscating the motorbikes, according to an eyewitness who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The argument developed into clashes between the two parties as residents started throwing rocks at police vehicles while police used warning shots. A police officer was briefly trapped in a resident’s house as angry locals seized the house of a resident who took the officer in to help calm the situation.
At least 30 were detained following the clashes.
The Interior Ministry denied an officer was detained; however, it confirmed clashes erupted as a result of detaining the motorbike riders.
