Death toll from Egypt's Al-Khosous sectarian flare-up rises to 6

The death toll from recent sectarian violence in the village of Al-Khosous north of Cairo has risen to six, Al-Ahram's Arabic-language news website reported on Thursday. Saber Helal, 21, died on Thursday from severe burns on his body, the result of a petrol bomb thrown at him during Saturday's clashes. Helal, a Muslim man, had spent several days in hospital, but finally succumbed to his injuries on Thursday. Violence broke out in Al-Khosous in Egypt's Qalioubiya governorate last weekend after Christian children allegedly painted offensive drawings on the wall of a prominent Islamic religious institute. In the ensuing violence, which raged for hours, guns were fired and shops and building set ablaze, leading to the death of four Christians and one Muslim in one of the worst sectarian flare-ups in months. Violence erupted again on Sunday outside St. Mark's Coptic Cathedral in Cairo's Abbasiya district, during a funeral procession for the four Christians killed in Al-Khosous. Police fired teargas to disperse the crowds and stop the violence. Two people were killed and almost 90 injured in the melee, state news agency MENA reported. From : Ahram Online