Military authorities are to interrogate the officer accused by Bedouins of shooting dead two Bedouin men on Wednesday, according to a military source.
Egypt's state-run media reported on Wednesday that the men were killed by an Egyptian army officer in an ambush in the South Sinai town of Abu Redeis. Media reports claim that the officer ordered the men to stop on a road near Abu Redeis, and shot them when they refused.
The military source, who asked not to be named, told Al-Masry Al-Youm that military authorities would refer the officer to trial if investigations showed he had killed the two men.
One of the victims’ fathers calmed protesters, who were angry over the shooting and the prosecution's order to bury the bodies, after Major General Emad Attar, the military governor of South Sinai, promised to investigate the incident.
Talal Mubarak, a member of the Sawalha tribe, said the two victims were on their way home after buying food for sohour. He said they were unarmed and were not part of any drug smuggling operation.
Mohamed Abou Salama, a Bedouin sheikh, said Bedouins respect the armed forces but that the perpetrator should be punished.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
