CAIRO: Ahmed Kassem, a 24-year-old Muslim from Daqahliya, was arrested Thursday after he stabbed a 40-year-old Copt, whose son allegedly had an affair with the defendant’s sister, a case that has brought sectarian tension to the small town of Domas, north of Cairo.
Investigations at Meet Ghamra prosecution office started late Thursday and are due to continue on Saturday, according to a source at the office, who withheld details about the nature of the charges Kassem will face.
A source at the church told Daily News Egypt that after rumors about the relationship between Ramy Sabry Shehata and the defendant’s sister circulated among the small population of 25,000 in Domas, Kassem clashed with Shehata when the former set the 25-year-old’s clothes on fire which forced him to jump in a nearby lake.
Tension spilt onto larger numbers of Muslims and Copts which left Ramy Sabry Shehata injured and his father, Sabry Shehata, dead at Meet Ghamra Hospital where he was transferred after being stabbed with a sword.
Security forces besieged the town and closed off its gates to hush-up the incident. Meanwhile, religious figures were asked to ease the tension and prevent it from escalating.
