Prosecutors in Alexandria have called for the speedy release of the forensic reports and criminal evidence associated with the New Year's Eve church bombing that killed 23 Coptic Christians.
Authorities are currently awaiting the findings both of Interpol and the Passport, Immigration & Nationality Authority regarding the identity of the man whose head was reportedly found among the blast debris and who is suspected of being the suicide bomber.
According to security sources, most of the earlier reports concerning the identity of this man have turned out to be false. They now say that the only hope for identifying him lies in DNA testing.
Security authorities are also stepping up efforts to find a street peddler who had allegedly worked outside a mosque located across from the bombed church. The peddler was first reported as having been killed in the explosion, but was later confirmed to be alive and living in Mansoura City.
The mosque's imam, for his part, has reportedly said that the street peddler's address was unknown and his mobile phone switched off. Although the peddler in question was summoned by prosecutors, he reportedly failed to show up for questioning.
Meanwhile, Salafi Muslim and Coptic Internet sites have fiercely debated the identity of the man to whom the decapitated head is thought to have belonged. While the websites "Free Christian Voice" and "Copts United" claim it belonged to a man named Osama Sedki, Salafi sites claim the head belonged to a Coptic Christian man named Maged Fayez Iskandar.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
