Shura Council member Kamal Suleiman has submitted a report onthe disappearance of a Muslim girl in Beni Suef last February, accusing a Coptic Christian of kidnapping the girl.
In what may be an oblique threat against the Coptic community, he also said that the Interior Ministry would be fully responsible for any "collective punishment" that Copts may face Friday.
Suleiman said that the police have detained an entire family whose son is a suspect, and also said that negotiations will continue until Thursday for the girl's return.
Shura Council Speaker Ahmed Fahmy criticized Suleiman, saying that the police serve Muslims and Christians equally.
MP Magdy Abdel Salam also said that prosecutors were detaining the Coptic family, not the police, and added that the girl had reportedly run away from her family, as opposed to being kidnapped.
“It is a legal detention, as there was evidence about the family facilitating her escape,” he said.
Edited translation from MENA
