CAIRO — In an attempt to stem widening criticism of their grip on power, generals in Egypt’s ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces said Wednesday that soldiers were attacked by mobs and did not intentionally kill Christian Coptic protesters this week.
The generals’ comments at a news conference marked the first public statements by the military on Sunday’s incidents, when clashes between thousands of Christian demonstrators, thugs and military police left 22 Coptic protesters and three police officers dead.
Copts, who make up 10 percent of the population, were protesting the burning down of a church by Muslim radicals in southern Egypt.
“Members of the military police did not fire live ammunition,” said Gen. Mahmoud Hegazi, in a clear attempt to defuse anger from Christians and Muslims over the military’s crackdown on the protest and its refusal to quickly turn the country over to civilian rule.
The generals’ comments, however, did not answer many questions. Activists have blamed the military council for not protecting protesters, who were seen on YouTube and Facebook videos being shot at and run over by armored personnel carriers. Forensic reports confirmed that some of the dead were crushed and struck by bullets.
Emara said that some soldiers may have accidentally run over protesters while they were encountering an “unprecedented psychological state” and were trying to escape demonstrators’ assaults. He added: “It was not systematic.”
The generals hinted at the possibility that “foreign hands” may have attempted to exploit the protests to ignite sectarian divisions.
