The Supreme State Security Prosecution has started legal proceedings against 23 Salafis allegedly involved in the sectarian violence in Imbaba on Saturday, charging them with terrorism, premeditated murder, vandalism of public and private property and intimidating citizens.
The charges were made as part of the prosecutions' investigation into the sectarian clashes, which lead to the deaths of at least 15 people and the injury of several hundred more.
Prosecutors presented the defendants with photographs of them throwing stones and destroying private property in the area during the incident.
Meanwhile, scores of Coptic Christians staged demonstrations before the Supreme Court, requesting a fast trial for the perpetrators of the violence in Imbaba.
Police intensified their presence in the Imbaba neighborhood in order to avoid any further clashes.
Prosecutors also started questioning a Coptic Christian, the owner of a cafe in the area, who fired the first shot in the clashes.
They are putting questions to Abeer Talaat, the Coptic woman who is said to have sparked the clashes when she converted to Islam.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
