23/05/2012 / EGYPTE
The getaway car. Photo by our Observer, Kandily.
Death of a policeman in Cairo: Witnesses blame "thugs"
This morning, Egyptian and international media reported that a policeman was killed in the neighbourhood of Rod al-Fagar in Cairo, following clashes between the supporters of two presidential candidates.
One of our Observers in the capital, who is working with our journalists on a special site covering the Egyptian elections (in Arabic), decided to go to this neighbourhood to find out more.
I talked to policemen and soldiers in the neighbourhood, who told me that the policeman in question died in front of a school. They also told me he did not die this morning, as had previously been reported, but instead died last night, around 10pm.
After speaking to more policemen and witnesses in the neighbourhood, I found out that corporal Ahmed Al Mawly was taking part in a security detail at Tawfiqqiyah school, as ballot boxes and voting cards were being delivered there to turn it into a polling station. Suddenly, a gunshot rang out near the school. Ahmed Al Mawly, along with one of his colleagues, went outside to see what was going on.
According to witnesses, several "baltagiyas" [thugs] were trying to flee by car, and shot at the two police officers, killing the corporal and wounding his colleague. Local residents stopped the car and grab a hold of one of the men; two others managed to escape. The suspect they caught is now in police custody.
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