Egypt’s interior ministry will have to disclose to prosecutors the results of its investigations into a church bombing in Alexandria in 2011 which killed 23 people, according to a court verdict on Thursday.
An Alexandrian administrative court overrules a decision by the ministry not to present details of its investigation into the bombing of Two Saints Church on New Year's Eve to the national security prosecution, which is in charge of investigating terrorism incidents.
“This is an unprecedented ruling,” Joseph Malak, the lawyer representing Two Saints Church in the lawsuit told Ahram Online, “and even though the case has been ongoing for more than four years, it is an important step towards knowing what really happened.” According to Malak the ruling is binding and the ministry will have to abide by it.
The perpetrators of the attack were never apprehended, but many Egyptians at the time blamed the regime of then-president Hosni Mubarak for failing to protect Egyptian Christians. Thousands took part in national unity protests in both Cairo and Alexandria which publicly criticised Mubarak and his government.
