The Samallūt train shooting was criminal rather than sectarian in nature, according to General Hāmid Rāshid, the Assistant Minister of Interior for Legal Affairs.
Al-Misrī al-Yawm reports that Hāmid made his comments at a joint meeting of several Egyptian parliamentary committees convened to discuss the shooting.
“The Ministry of the Interior has no interest in concealing anything related to the incident. Investigations have not proved that the accused uttered any religious remark,” Hāmid said in response to reports that claim the alleged shooter, ‘Āmir ‘Āshūr, shouted various Islamic slogans as he carried out the attack.
Some reports have also claimed that ‘Āshūr, an Egyptian police officer, was banned from carrying a weapon in 2006 for assaulting a police colonel. However, Hāmid responded that it was normal for ‘Āshūr to be carrying a weapon, since the ban “was for one year and was not extended because there was no need for it.”
The paper also reports that various members of parliament argued vigorously at the meeting about whether or not Egypt is experiencing a “sectarian climate.”
[Similar reports appeared in Al-Shurūq al-Jadīd, p.1, and Rose al-Yūsuf, p.5]
