Two Egyptian Copts attacked in Giza amid cover-up: sources

Two knife-yielding men assaulted an Orthodox Coptic owner of a warehouse of alcoholic beverages and his son in the Giza province, west of the capital Cairo, at dawn on Wednesday, leaving both in critical condition, sources said to The New Arab.

"Suddenly two men, known for having criminal records, appeared on the street, attacking the owner while shouting, 'Allah is great. [president Abdel-Fattah] El-Sisi is God's enemy.' When his son attempted to save him, they assaulted him too, wounding him all over his body," witnesses told The New Arab.

The victims underwent surgery at Maadi Armed Forces Military Complex in Cairo and have been admitted to the intensive care unit under tight security, a police source told The New Arab on condition of anonymity.

Bystanders on the street managed to restrain the two men, handing them to the police.

The Haram neighbourhood, where the attack took place, is known for being a hotbed of religious extremists and Salafis.

Meanwhile, the medical condition of the victims remains unclear amid a total cover-up by the police and the prosecution. 

Despite their knowledge of the incident, local news outlets were not allowed to report it. Nor were they permitted to talk to the victims' family, a journalist, who declined to be named, told The New Arab.

"The authorities probably fear possible sectarian tension," the journalist added.

Earlier in April, a man killed an Orthodox Coptic priest at a popular seaside promenade in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. He was sentenced to death by a criminal court in the same month.

Christians make up approximately 10 per cent of the population of Muslim-majority Egypt and sectarian violence is not uncommon in Egypt.

Most of Egypt's Christians are Coptic Orthodox and they are among the world's oldest Christian communities.

Violence between communities occasionally erupts, mainly in rural communities in the south. Islamist extremists have also targeted Christians in the past.