CAIRO: South African police on Wednesday apprehended a suspect in connection with the assassination of three Egyptian Coptic Orthodox monks.
The motive behind the fatal stabbing is still not clear. South African Police Service in a statement said the 35-year-old man will be presented before Cullinan Magistrates’ Court on 14 March.
The monks were killed on Tuesday at Cullinan, 50 km away from Pretoria, said the police department.
It added three victims had stab wounds while the fourth victim who escaped the scene said he was hit by an iron rod on his hand.
Meanwhile, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry in a statement said it was closely monitoring the investigation process through its embassy in Pretoria.
The Egyptian ambassador was hopeful that the investigation would uncover the circumstances of the tragic incident and the identity of the murderers.
The Coptic Orthodox Church of South Africa, in a Facebook message, has expressed anger over the incident.
The church and Foreign Ministry of Egypt have extended condolences to the families of the monks, identified as Hegumen Takla El-Samuely, Yostos Ava Markos, and Mina Ava Markos.
According to the church’s website, the Coptic Orthodox community in South Africa comprises of about 4,500 families, in a country of 62 million people.
Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif has also condemned the killings.
He said that assaulting a person in a place of worship is an open act of terrorism prohibited in all religions.
The church also expressed its pain over the killings and offered its condolences to the families of the three deceased monks.
