Egyptian Police Investigating Coptic Christian Double Murder

Cairo, Egypt (AHN) - Two Coptic Christians were found dead in a village 240 miles south of Cairo, police said. They added that they were investigating the incident as possible sectarian violence in the same village that witnessed some of the worst massacres seven years ago.

Police sources said they were investigating the deaths of Sadeq Ishaq, 45, and Karam Andraus, 40, who were shot to death on their farm in El Kosheh. The official added that investigators were attempting to determine if the murders were sectarian in nature.

In 2007, a dispute between Muslims and Coptic Christians in the village escalated into a full scale battle as armed gangs took up weapons against each other. The violence left 21 Christians and one Muslim dead.

Coptic Christians are generally estimated to make up around 10 percent of Egypt's population. Often random incidents of violence have been construed as sectarianism by the media.

Copts and Muslims live in relative peace with one another in the country.

AHN's Manar Ammar in Cairo contributed to this report.