The day before yesterday, three Copts were shot dead; the security services have so far not been able to identify the killers. The victims are from two Christian-majority villages. The Security Directorate of Asyut was notified by the al-Qūsīyah central hospital that they had received the bodies of two people from al-Sarāqnā village. An investigation revealed that they had encountered unknown assailants. The two men died when these attackers entered the village and opened fire on them. The security services have intensified their efforts to work out exactly what happened. The investigation so far has made it clear that the victims had good reputations in their communities and interreligious relations were good there. Furthermore, another Copt, Shuhdy Ilīās, known as Fathī, was also killed in the recent violence after being shot in the foot (Su’ād Ahmad Mahmūd Mālik, al-Watan, Aug. 22). Read original article in Arabic.

(Rob Bental, Intern)