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Africa North

Egypt's Criminal Court hands final death sentence to man convicted of killing Coptic priest in Cairo

2018-02-13

[AlAhram] Egypt's Criminal Court has handed a final death sentence to a man convicted of the October 2017 killing of a Coptic priest in a northeastern suburb of Cairo. The court's verdict comes two months after it convicted 19-year-old Ahmed El-Sonbaty ...who has been described as an extremist with a criminal record, whatever that means... and issued a preliminary death sentence. The preliminary sentence was referred to the country's Grand Mufti, whose opinion is legally required in death penalty cases, although it is not binding. The final sentence, issued with the Mufit's approval, can still be appealed. El-Sonbaty was convicted of killing Coptic Orthodox priest Samaan Shehata in Cairo's El-Salam city and assaulting another called Beyman Moftan. He was found guilty of premeditated murder of the Coptic priest, who hailed from Beni Suef Governorate in Upper Egypt. According to investigations by the prosecution, El-Sonbaty does not suffer from a mental illness and was "fully conscious" while committing his crime. The prosecution added that El-Sonbaty said he did not know Arch Shehata personally, but he attacked him using a cleaver as soon as he saw him wearing a Coptic vestment.

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Africa North

Egypt court issues preliminary death sentence for man convicted of killing Coptic priest

2017-11-16

[AlAhram] A South Giza criminal court issued a preliminary death sentence on Wednesday against a man convicted of killing Coptic Orthodox priest Samaan Shehata in Cairo last October. The court has referred the case to the country's Grand Mufti for a non-binding opinion on the death sentence per Egyptian law. The court set 15 January for a session to issue its verdict. The defendant, Ahmed El-Sonbaty, ...who has been described as an extremist with a criminal record, whatever that means, and did the deed with a cleaver... was charged by the prosecution of premeditated murder of a Christian clergyman Shehata to death and injuring another priest in Madinat El-Salam in east Cairo. The defence argued that the defendant was insane, but the prosecution answered that he was fully aware of his actions. Shehata was an archpriest at the St Julius Church in El-Fashn in the governorate of Beni Suef in Upper Egypt. The injured priest, Beymen Moftan, administers the El-Malak church in Matay, Minya.

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Africa North

Egyptian man referred to court for killing Coptic priest in Cairo

2017-10-19

Could be a jihadi, could just be a local Muslim who felt like it -- Al Ahram isn't telling. [AlAhram] Egypt's prosecutor-general has referred on Tuesday to Cairo criminal court a man charged with killing a Coptic priest and injuring another in Cairo last week, state news agency MENA reported. The prosecution charged forty-year-old Ahmed El-Sonbaty with premeditated murder in the killing of Arc Priest Samaan Shehataa, who hailed from Beni Suef Governorate in Upper Egypt, in El-Salam City east pf Cairo last Thursday. Another priest was injured in the attack. The interior ministry has not commented on a possible motive behind the attack. Evidence against the defendant includes a confession, witness statements, and forensic evidence, according to MENA.

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Africa North

Egyptian Police arrest suspect in priest's murder

2017-10-13

[AlAhram] Egypt's interior ministry announced on Thursday evening the arrest of a man supsected of the killing of one priest and injuring another in a northeastern suburb of Cairo earlier that day. According to a statement released by the ministry, security forces tossed in the calaboose Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un! Ahmed El-Sonbaty as a suspect in the murder of Coptic Orthodox priest Samaan Shehata and the assault upon another, Beyman Moftan. The late Shehata served as archpriest at St. Julius Church in El-Fashn, Beni Suef. Injured priest Beymen Moftan administers the El-Malak church in Matay, Minya. The statement added that the suspect attacked both Shehata and Moftan in El-Salam city, where the suspect used to live, and that authorities were able to locate the weapon he allegedly used to attack both men. Though no motive has yet been revealed, the interior ministry stated that 40-year-old El-Sonbaty is unemployed and was charged earlier this year for assaulting his father and setting his house on fire. The prosecution is currently investigating the incident. Another Al Ahram article adds: Bishop Astafanous of Fashn, Biba and Samasta said the attacker was an "extremist" with a criminal record. And from Ynet: Security officials say the attacker struck the priest's head with a cleaver. Attacks on Egypt's Christians, who account for about 10 percent of the country's 94 million people, have surged in recent months, with a series of suicide kabooms claimed by the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... group killing more than 100 since December.

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