LUXOR, Egypt (AP) — Security officials say hundreds of Muslim residents have thrown firebombs and rocks at police outside a church in the south of Egypt.
They accuse local Christians of providing a safe haven for a missing woman suspected of converting.
Six policemen and a dozen Christians were wounded in the clashes late Thursday in the town of Kom Ombo, near the Aswan High Dam.
Tensions rose after a 36-year-old Muslim woman disappeared five days ago. She was allegedly spotted outside the Mar Gergis church in Kom Ombo on Thursday.
Officials say within a few hours, hundreds of Muslims gathered outside the church and tried to storm it, believing she was hiding inside.
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Police erected checkpoints around the church Friday in anticipation of more protests. Officials spoke anonymously in line with regulations.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
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