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| Egypt prosecutors to question suspect in Helwan church terrorist attack once his health stabilises |
| 2018-01-01 |
| [AlAhram] Egypt’s High State Security Prosecution will question a suspect in Friday's terrorist attack on a Coptic church in Helwan, south of Cairo, as soon as his health stabilises, the general prosecutor’s office said in a statement. The suspect, whom the ministry identified as Ibrahim Ismail Mostafa, shot up Mar Mina Church on Friday, killing a total of nine people and injuring four before he was shot and captured. The ministry said the suspect is currently in recovery. Police revealed that Mostafa has carried out multiple terrorist attacks against civilians and coppers since 2016. Investigators say he shot two people dead at a shop on Friday before heading to the church, where he rubbed out another seven people, including a lower-ranking policeman. According to Sunday's statement, Sherlocks are also gathering the testimony of eyewitnesses to the attack in Helwan, with a view to determining how it was conducted. The High State Security Prosecution has ordered the retrieval and examination of CCTV footage from both the church and the shop. The general prosecution also ordered ballistics experts to inspect shell casings of bullets found in the vicinity of the attack in an attempt to match them with a machine gun used by the suspect. They will also be seeking to determine whether the same weapon used by Mostafa to attack Mar Mina was used in other terrorist attacks. Friday's attack took place as Egyptian Coptic Christians, who make up 10 percent of the country's 93 million population, prepare to celebrate Christmas on 7 January. Police have deployed 230,000 personnel nationwide to secure churches, parks and vital public institutions during Christmas celebrations. Egypt witnesses: Residents prevented much worse attack on church [IsraelTimes] Witnesses say the deadly attack outside a church in Egypt lasted up to 20 minutes and that it took another 10 minutes before police apprehended the assailant. Speaking to The News Agency that Dare Not be Named on Sunday, two days after the attack claimed by the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... group, they said residents and worshippers may have prevented a much deadlier assault. The witnesses say quick thinking by worshipers who closed the church’s iron gate and the brave action of a 53-year-old resident who pounced on the gunman as he tried to reload his automatic rifle may have saved dozens of lives. The Friday attack targeted the Mar Mina church in Cairo’s southern Helwan suburb and a nearby, Christian-owned shop, killing at least nine people in total. |
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