EGYPT: SECTARIAN VIOLENCE IN ALEXANDRIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 002267

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

NSC STAFF FOR SINGH

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/16/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KIRF ASEC EG
SUBJECT: EGYPT: SECTARIAN VIOLENCE IN ALEXANDRIA

REF: 05 CAIRO 8139

Classified by ECPO Counselor John P. Desrocher for reasons
1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: Attacks on Friday, April 14 against
worshipers in three separate Alexandria churches killed one
elderly Christian, wounded more than a dozen others and
sparked a weekend of unrest. Clashes continued at a lower
tempo on April 16 and the death that day of a Muslim injured
April 15 may spur yet more violence. The GOE sought to
downplay the incidents, attributing the April 14 attacks to a
single crazed individual, but has also initiated a major
security operation to contain fallout from the violence.
Official Coptic Orthodox Church reaction has been muted, but
independent Christian analysts have harshly criticized the
GOE, suggesting that a larger conspiracy involving multiple
attackers was at work. The Muslim Brotherhood has
disassociated itself from the violence. These latest attacks
in Alexandria, which come six months after riots sparked by
Muslim protests over an allegedly blasphemous play produced
by an Alexandria church (reftel),are a reminder of the
sectarian tensions that continue to plague Egypt. End
summary.


2. (C) Media accounts and statements by GOE security
officials about the April 14 incidents have sometimes
conflicted, but it now appears that the attacker(s) targeted
three Alexandria churches: the Church of the Great Martyr
St. George in the Hadara district; the Church of the Two
Saints in Sidi Bishr; and the Church of the Virgin in
Janaklis. According to a chronology issued by the Coptic
Orthodox Patriarchate in Alexandria, the three attacks
occurred at 0800, 0930, and 1010, respectively. It was the
0930 attack at Two Saints Church in Sidi Bishr that resulted
in the death of 78-year-old Noshi Atta Guirgis. After the
attacks, the police arrested 25-year-old Mahmud Salaheddin
Abdul Razzak, and charged him with the attacks. Comment:
While it was physically possible for one attacker to conduct
all three attacks, many observers have expressed skepticism
that one person acted alone. This skepticism has been
reinforced by media reports attributed to unnamed police
sources which have blamed at least two assailants. End
comment.


3. (C) The Saturday, April 15 funeral for Noshi Atta
Guirgis sparked additional protests and violence, as Coptic
protesters clashed with Muslims. Both sides threw stones and
set fire to several vehicles before police clamped down,
arresting more than a dozen people from both sides. Note:
Embassy Cairo's RSO office has maintained regular contact
with Egyptian law enforcement since the beginning of the
strife. The information provided by the GOE officials to
post has mirrored the confused and sometimes contradictory
information available in the media. End note.


4. (C) Violence continued at a somewhat lower tempo on April
16 despite a very heavy security presence. That same day a
Muslim injured in the April 15 mayhem died of his wounds; his
funeral (not yet scheduled) may spark further violence.
Likewise, on April 21 the traditional Muslim prayer day will
coincide with Coptic Good Friday; this will bring out large
crowds of worshipers from both communities and again increase
the possibility of clashes.


5. (C) Alexandria Governor Abdel Salam Mahgoub's statement
blaming the attacks on a single crazed individual and
initially claiming that Guirgis died of "shock," which
closely tracked with the initial statements by the Ministry
of Interior, were met with considerable derision by many
media commentators as well as Coptic Orthodox activists.
Although the Coptic Orthodox leadership in Cairo has not yet
issued any public statements on the events, Church officials
in Alexandria have criticized what they characterized as a
GOE effort to downplay the violence. Expatriate Coptic
Orthodox commentators have seized upon the Alexandria
violence as evidence that the GOE fails to protect the rights
of Egypt's Christian citizens. Muslim Brotherhood spokesman
Essam El-Erian, in an effort to disassociate his organization
from the violence, has also charged that the GOE had been
remiss in its duty to protect the Alexandria churches.
RICCIARDONE