16 people were put under arrest for four days on Saturday evening for their involvement in clashes that took place in front of the Egyptian television headquarters, Maspiro, where Christian Egyptians have held a sit-in for over a week now. The decision came after there was evidence that the defendants had initiated trouble in Maspiro by firing and injuring 36 people. Investigations confirmed that the injured were not responsible for the incident and so were released. Those who were accused of initiating the clashes were found with 100 empty bottles which they were going to use to make molotoves. Investigations discredited rumors that said that this was a religious conflict. They showed instead that there were two possible reasons behind the clashes. The first being an argument between two market sellers in which protestors interfered and escalated matters. The second was that two men had entered Maspiro on motorcycles without stopping at the checkpoint. This angered protestors, leading to a clash in which the two men fired shots that led to injuries, burnt 11 cars, smashed the glass of three security cars and caused damage to shops near Maspiro. . The prosecution accused the defendants of damaging public and private property and so they were placed under arrest for four days. It also accused 57 defendants of taking part in the clashes.
