Egypt’s Prosecutor-General Nabil Sadiq referred a police officer late Tuesday accused of killing a Christian father and his son near a church in El-Minya last week, to the Cairo Criminal Court.
The defendant, Rabea Mustafa Khalifa, who served as a church guard, faces charges of the intentional killing of Emad Kamal Sadeq aged 49 and David aged 21.
The investigations unveiled that Khalifa confessed to the crime and that he used his service weapon in the murder. According to the forensic report, both victims were shot with live ammunition that led to their death.
The victims were doing their job in removing the ruins of a demolished house near a church in Al-Minya governorate when a clash erupted between them, the Diocese of Al-Minya and Abu Qurqas said after the murder.
On Tuesday, Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria met with the family of the victims at the Monastery of Saint Pishoy. The Pope said that dealing with Minya incident needs “wisdom” to ensure peace and stability of the governorate.
Pope Tawadros II added that the government works on developing education and culture which shall reduce the violence rate in the area.
Egyptian Christians have been the main target of several terrorist attacks inside the country, whether individually or more frequently in groups, with their houses and worshipping places attacked.
In recent years, several churches were bombed, leaving dozens killed. Earlier in November this year, seven Christians were killed and 19 were injured in a terrorist attack on a bus near the Monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor, in Minya as well.
The most recent deadly attacks took place at two churches on Palm Sunday in 2017, resulting in the death of at least 45 people, and more than 100 injuries.
