CAIRO: Supreme State Security Criminal Court in Giza, headed by Hassan Radwan, decided to postpone the trail of those who are accused in the resulting incidents of sectarian strife between Muslims and Coptic Christians in the Egyptian neighborhood of Imbaba in Giza to November 2. The court also ordered to summon the rest of witnesses and impose a penalty of 200 EGP on four witnesses who were absent from the trail. The incidents aroused when Muslim Salafis gathered outside the Coptic Orthodox church of Saint Mina in Imbaba and demanded for the release of a woman who converted into Islam. The Muslims claimed the Coptic Christians imprisoned her in the church because she converted to Islam. The trail session began at 11:30 A.M. by calling out the names of the accused. The accused Muslims were put in a dock at the end of the courthouse while the accused Christians were put in a dock at the left side of the bench. The Christian accused sat on the floor to prevent media from photographing them. The bench called for the first witness but he did not attend the trail although general attorney informed him about trail on September 5. One of defense lawyers said Sheikh Abu Yehyia, one of accused, was detained in incommunicado for 15 days while the rest accused were placed in prisoners cells, not in detention. The bench called forward the second and third witnesses, however they were absent as well. The fourth witness Mohamed Abdul Aziz attended the court and the bench ordered security forces to get all photographers out of the courthouse. This caused some chaos inside the courthouse. One of the lawyers requested the court bench to exclude journalists out of the courthouse, as well as order to listen to testimonies without any effect. The bench ordered to listen to the witness's testimony in the Chamber shall. The trail held to listen to the testimony. The main trigger of the incidents is a Coptic Christian woman called Abeer Talaat Fakhry (48), who attended the trial. She tried to speak to her husband but security members prevented her. Security forces prevented many of Imbaba residents from entering the courthouse in order to prevent crowdedness inside the courthouse. Abeer's husband Yassen Thabet surprised everyone greatly when he asked officials to marry Abeer according to Islamic rules. The case includes 48 accused.
