Assailant detained 4 days over wounding church guard

CAIRO – 16 July 2017: The Supreme State Security Prosecution ordered on Sunday July 16, a 24-year-old assailant accused of wounding a security guard at Alexandria’s Saints Church to be detained for 4 days pending an investigation.

The 24-year-old assailant was arrested on Sunday immediately after wounding a security guard at Alexandria’s Saints Church after being prevented from entering the church.

The statement, which came a few hours after the incident, said that the assailant, named Abdullah Adel Hassan, used a sharp blade to wound the guard. Hassan, who is unemployed, did not provide any clear reason to the guard for why he wanted to enter the church.

The guard sustained a surface wound and was transferred to a hospital for treatment. The 47-year-old guard, Mina Fouad, left the hospital after receiving treatment, the statement noted.

Security forces arrived at the scene and inspected the assailant and found him possessing a sharp blade.

The incident took place three days after all Egypt’s churches have suspended their activities for security reasons. This Church had witnessed a bombing on New Year’s Eve of 2011, which resulted in the death of 28 people and injured 300 others.