As the investigation into the Alexandria church bombing continues few new leads emerge, Mohamed Abdel-Baky reports The investigation into the deadly attack on the Two Saints Church in Alexandria entered its third week with few clues being unearthed to help identify the perpetrators. Four Egyptians belonging to Salafist groups have been detained for questioning. One is reported to have travelled between Alexandria and 6 October governorate several times in the days immediately prior to the attack and was seen in the area of the church half an hour before the bombing. Police are also questioning the owner of a shop near to the church who purchased a large quantity of nails two days before the attack. No one has claimed responsibility for the bomb that left 23 people dead, though experts believe the modus operandi bears the hallmark of Al-Qaeda. Reports have appeared suggesting investigators believe the attack was carried out by three to five Egyptians aided by foreign parties. Sources close to the investigations told the daily Al-Masry Al-Yom that the police were interested in questioning an Egyptian man in his 30s who had travelled to an "Asian country" last May and in August rented an apartment close to the scene of the outrage. Bomb experts say the explosive device weighed between 10 and 15 kilogrammes and contained material imported from abroad that was then assembled in Egypt. Refaat Abdel-Meguid, a former director of the Ministry of Interior's Department of Criminal Evidence, believes that three men were involved in the attack. Two died in the explosion while the third remains at large. He further suggests that the bombers must have kept their target under close observation in the weeks prior to the attack, checking possible routes and the position of security checks. "The bomb used in the terrorist attack in the Al-Azhar area two years ago was prepared by an Egyptian who was staying in a nearby hotel," says Abdel-Meguid, positing a similar scenario for the Alexandria attack. He qualifies the similarities, however, adding that two bombs may have been used in Alexandria. In 2009 a terrorist attack targeting tourists in Al-Azhar area in Cairo, killed a woman and wounded 17 tourists. The ongoing investigation has sparked concern among human rights organisations. Last week a group of activists filed a complaint to the Attorney-General Abdel Meguid Mahmoud complaining about random detentions. Suspects, they say, have faced torture on little or no evidence. Sayed Belal, an Alexandrian resident, was tortured to death, they allege, while a second detainee, Mohamed Ismail Abdu, vanished after being arrested on 5 January. The complaint lists the names of 65 people across Egypt detained for questioning in addition to 300 arrested in Alexandria. Activists called on the Ministry of Interior to ensure that investigations are carried out in full accordance with the law and with due respect of human rights. Meanwhile, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, supported by the foreign ministers of France, Poland and Hungary, is reported to have requested that the "persecution of Christians in the Middle East, including Egypt, be discussed at the upcoming meeting of EU foreign ministers". A week earlier Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit had issued a statement saying the "EU does not have the right to evaluate the situation of Christians in Egypt and to do so constitutes interference in Egypt's internal affairs." Boutros Boutros-Ghali, chairman of the National Council for Human Rights, disagreed with the foreign minister. He told a group of reporters that he does not consider statements made by EU countries concerning the New Year's Eve church bombing as unwarranted interference. "We cannot stop people from commenting on events. They are free to do so, just as we are free to comment on events taking place in Europe or Sudan, for example."
