Coptic Church authorities on Tuesday requested the investigation of former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly in connection to the bombing of an Alexandria church on New Year’s Eve, a source said.
The Church submitted the request as part of an official memorandum to Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, chief of Egypt's ruling military council.
The suspected suicide bombing killed 23 Copts while they left the church after Christmas prayers.
Referring to documents surreptitiously obtained from the now-dissolved State Security Investigations Service, new reports indicate that Adly may have been involved in organizing the attack.
However, no government authorities are reported to have confirmed the authenticity of the documents.
Church lawyer Joseph Melak, Melli Council member Nader Marcos, and Camille Sadiq, Melli Council secretary for the Coptic Church in Alexandria, composed and signed the memorandum, which was obtained by Al-Masry Al-Youm.
The memorandum requested that Adly appear for questioning on allegations of gross negligence amounting to collusion.
It said that Adly neglected to protect Egypt and churches from terrorism, collect and follow up on information relating to the case and resume investigations once they stopped.
