A Muslim policeman charged with guarding a Coptic Christian church shot and killed two Copts—a father, 49, and his son, 21—Wednesday in Minya, Egypt.Eyewitnesses say a verbal quarrel had ensued before the officer pulled out his gun and opened fire on the two men.
Video footage of the incident shows the killer-cop brandishing his gun as he stalks around the bloodied but still moving Christians on the ground. He loudly curses them—or all Copts in general?—as “mother-f*****s. Two other police officers arrive and nonchalantly watch.
The office of the prosecutor charged the murderer with “beating that led to death”—as opposed to “killing” which could lead to a death sentence; seven years in prison is the maximum penalty for the current charge.
Thousands of angry Christians attended the funeral today, chanting kyri eleison (“Lord have mercy!), and “One, two—but where are the rights of the martyrs!”
Coptic Solidarity said in a statement today:
Whatever punishment—if any!—the killer policeman may end up getting, the real culprit in this heinous crime is nothing but the authorities themselves, as they have allowed impunity to killers of Copts time and again, making it easy for anybody having an argument with a Copt to pull a gun, or knife, and just kill.