Violence broke out on Tuesday between Muslim and Christian residents of a village on the outskirts of the city of Abu Tesht in Upper Egypt. Several homes were set on fire, while security forces encircled the village.
According to security officials, a number of young Muslim men set around ten Christian homes on fire in the village of Nawahed in Qena after rumors circulated that a Christian man was having an affair with a local Muslim girl.
Officials said they were not aware of any injuries, adding that security forces had been dispatched to the village to prevent a renewal of violence. Police have also reportedly stepped up security in and around Abu Tesht and nearby areas.
In November of last year, violence broke out in the Upper Egyptian village of Farshout after a Coptic man was accused of sexually assaulting a Muslim girl. Two months later, three Muslim men killed six Christians and a Muslim guard in an attack on a church in Naga Hammadi.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
