CAIRO, (AP) – An Egyptian security official says Christians smashed cars and windows in protests over a halt in construction of a church in Cairo and then clashed with police, leaving one person dead.
The official said the person killed Wednesday was one of the Christian protesters, but did not say how the person died. Also, 25 people were injured and 85 arrested, the official says.
Rioting erupted outside a municipal building in the Cairo suburb of Giza, near the famed pyramids, after authorities halted construction on a church claiming the local Christian community had violated a building permit.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t allowed to speak to the media.
Egypt’s Christian minority frequently complains of discrimination.