Muslim mob stabs Christian to death in Egypt over feud

Police arrest 4 people after the families of 2 priests are attacked with knives and batons

By AP 18 July 2016, 4:39 pm

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Coptic Christians walk outside St. Markos Church in Minya, south of Cairo, Egypt, January 2015. (AP Photo/Roger Anis)

MINYA, Egypt — Egyptian officials say a Muslim mob stabbed a Coptic Christian to death over a personal feud.

Bishop Macarious of the southern Minya governorate says the mob attacked the families of two priests with knives and batons in the village of Tahna al-Gabal late Sunday. Fam Khalaf, 27, was killed and the father of one of the priests was wounded.

Police confirmed the incident and said they arrested four people.

Christian residents gathered at a local church for prayers for the dead and protests on Monday.

Christians make up 10 percent of Egypt’s mostly Muslim population. Sectarian violence occasionally erupts, mainly in rural communities in the south. Islamic extremists have also targeted Christians.