Agencies-Gaza post
Egyptian authorities charge Muslim with killing Christian
Egypt arrested a Muslim man for the murder of 30-year-old Egyptian Christian Kyrillos Megally, who died in hospital on June 7, three days after being assaulted.
Abdullah Hosni admitted to the killing in the village of Arab Mahdy in Sohag Governorate in the Upper Egypt region, prosecutors said.
He allegedly pushed Kyrillos from a motorcycle before hitting him repeatedly with a cleaver, inflicting fatal injuries, according to Christians familiar with the situation.
In remarks shared with Worthy News, the victim’s family argued that “Abdullah is an extremist who has a history of harassing and assaulting Christians.” Christians said he was “drenched in blood and with multiple stab wounds” when rushed to the hospital and eventually died.
Besides admitting to killing Kyrillos, the suspect, who is in police custody, admitted to disposing of the cleaver down a drain, according to prosecutors. His family asserts he is mentally unbalanced.
The victim’s brother Medhat told local media that two years ago, “Abdullah assaulted two Christians – a brother and cousin of Kyrillos Megally” – and was sentenced to one year in prison. “After that, he went to work in Libya and came back two days before he assaulted my brother,” added Medhat.
CRIMINAL RECORD
A report issued by the Ministry of Interior reportedly affirmed the accused had a criminal record. The suspect could not be reached for comment.
Kyrillos Megally, who belonged to the Coptic Christian community, performed in Kuwait and had returned to his home village of Arab Mahdy for a holiday. His funeral was held on June 8.
The murder tracks prior violence against Christians, a minority in Muslim-majority Egypt. Christians said attacks included the recent murder of another young Copt by a Muslim man who later said he was moved to the act due to his “loyalty to Allah.”
Additionally, priest Arsenius Wadid was stabbed to death in general daylight by another knife-wielding Muslim in April, church sources stated.
Christians fear more episodes, including in Upper Egypt, where ultra-conservative Islamic Salafist movements are active in rural communities.
However, the government declares to fight extremism and has recognized several churches lately.
Around 16 million Egyptian Christians are living among the country’s mainly Muslim population of 104 million people, according to investigators.
