Lucylastic -> RE: Muslim mobs burn Egyptian churches (5/9/2011 10:12:30 AM)
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The latest riots, sparked by a rumour that a Muslim convert was abducted by the local church, lasted for hours Saturday night and into Sunday morning. Muslim mobs attacked two churches, burning one; 12 people died, and more than 200 were injured. Later in the day, Muslims and Christians pelted each other with stones in another part of Cairo. Police and soldiers moved in to break up the violence, but it was hours that they effectively cleared the streets around the churches — a delay that prompted neighborhood criticism for perceived military reluctance to interfere. But authorities arrested 190 people after the church attack, sending them to military prosecutions and threatening the maximum penalty against anyone attacking houses of worship. Among those arrested on Monday were Yassin Thabet, 31, who claimed his wife is being held against her will in the church. The authorities also detained the owner of the coffee house opposite the church; witnesses said gunfire originated there.
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