EGYPT-SECURITY/ALEXANDRIA FUNERAL Funeral held for Egyptian soldier killed in Sinai attacks

Record ID: 148617

  • Title: EGYPT-SECURITY/ALEXANDRIA FUNERAL Funeral held for Egyptian soldier killed in Sinai attacks
  • Date: 3rd July 2015
  • Summary: ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT (JULY 2, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SOLDIERS CARRYING COFFINS VARIOUS OF FEMALE RELATIVES MOURNING AND COMFORTING ONE ANOTHER (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) UNCLE OF KILLED SOLDIER, HASSAN MOHAMED, SAYING: "The bullet came as treason, from the agents. I want to send a message to President Sisi, a message for all of his children who are left on the front-lines, he m
  • Embargoed: 18th July 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Egypt
  • Country: Egypt
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAEG0YJ97CBZHJJH12WTL4WTKH
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Dozens of Egyptians and local officials attend a funeral held for an Egyptian soldier, one of 17 who died in Wednesday's (July 1) co-ordinated attacks against the military in the Sinai region by Islamist militants linked to Islamic State.
    The attack, which lasted several hours left around 100 people, mainly militants dead.
    Hassan Mohamed, an uncle of the soldier for whom the funeral was arranged, blamed the Muslim Brotherhood movement for the attack.
    "The bullet came as treason, from the agents. I want to send a message to President Sisi, a message for all of his children who are left on the front-lines, he must bring them justice, retribution and avenge the blood of the martyrs. Instead of feeding them [the Brotherhood] in prisons, and leaving them there for three years, why aren't they sentenced already, or is he waiting for them to eradicate us all?," he said.
    The Muslim Brotherhood was ousted out of power after huge protests against its first year in office were followed by the military stepping in and pushing the Brotherhood out of office and into the courts.
    The Brotherhood and its supporters say the move by the military was nothing short of a coup against the country's first freely elected president.
    Alexandria governor Hany al-Messiry also attended the funeral and asked Egyptians to defy the militants.
    "This will only increase our strength and determination. I would also like to add something to the nation as a whole; let's keep going, this should only make us stronger and more determined. We know that there's a lot of bad and evil out there, but they will not affect us, we are still going. Those youth are volunteers and know what volunteering means - it means they put their lives on the line and they accept that. We, as servants of the state now, are only making an effort and we hope to increase our efforts, God willing. May he rest in peace."
    Yehia Mohamed Ahmed, another relative of the soldier, also blamed the violence on the Muslim Brotherhood and asked the authorities to stop providing them with basic things such as food while they serve prison terms.
    "I fought in the 6 October war, I fought for 8 years, I saw all types of wars - starting with the defeat, then the attrition war, then the deterrence period then victory. We haven't seen anything as low as the Muslim Brotherhood. Why are you leaving them in the prisons? Why are you fattening them up? Are we fattening them up for the Eid or what exactly? This is not fair. The food they eat could be going to any of the noble citizens. There are a lot of poor people - the food they [the Brotherhood] are being given in the prisons should be going to the people."
    Egypt killed 35 Islamist militants in North Sinai on Thursday (July 2).
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