The killing of a Coptic Christian priest has prompted thousands of Christians to take to the streets of southern Egypt in protest.
About 3,000 demonstrators scuffled with Muslim shop owners and smashed car windows in the city of Assiut. They believe Father Daoud Boutros' death was a result of a divide between Egyptian Muslims and the smaller Christian community.
The priest was found dead in his home by his daughter late Wednesday. A fellow clergyman said he had been stabbed several times.
"Someone had broken into the safe and we found it was empty, indicating it was a robbery," a police official said.
Neighbors reported seeing masked men leaving the home shouting "Allah akbar" which in Arabic means "God is great."
Egypt's religious tension spiked in January when a suicide bomber killed 21 people outside a Coptic church in the port city of Alexandria. Days of protests followed.
About 3,000 demonstrators scuffled with Muslim shop owners and smashed car windows in the city of Assiut. They believe Father Daoud Boutros' death was a result of a divide between Egyptian Muslims and the smaller Christian community.
The priest was found dead in his home by his daughter late Wednesday. A fellow clergyman said he had been stabbed several times.
"Someone had broken into the safe and we found it was empty, indicating it was a robbery," a police official said.
Neighbors reported seeing masked men leaving the home shouting "Allah akbar" which in Arabic means "God is great."
Egypt's religious tension spiked in January when a suicide bomber killed 21 people outside a Coptic church in the port city of Alexandria. Days of protests followed.
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