#Egypt #Giza – A man entered a Coptic Orthodox church in Giza early Thursday morning and set a small fire inside, damaging curtains, carpets, and furnishings before authorities arrested him, church officials and Egyptian security sources said. No one was injured.
The incident occurred around 6 a.m. at the Church of the Virgin Mary in the Birk El-Khiyam area of Kerdasa district, according to a statement from the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Mid Giza. Bishop Theodosius said an unidentified non-Christian man entered the building under the pretext of praying while carrying a bottle of gasoline concealed in a bag. He forced open the door of a small chapel on the ground floor of the main church, set fire to the curtains and carpets, and damaged the lecterns.
Church officials reported that the blaze was quickly brought under control. Security personnel arrived at the scene, and the suspect was taken into custody. Investigations into his motives continued, the diocese said.
Egypt’s Interior Ministry later described the suspect as a man suffering from psychological disorders linked to addiction to the drug known as “ice” (crystal methamphetamine). Ministry officials said he had previously been admitted to a psychiatric facility. Surveillance footage showed him entering the church carrying a plastic water bottle containing a white substance; administrative security at the gate did not stop him. When officers found him, he was sitting shirtless on a chair and uttering unintelligible words. The fire had partially damaged three curtains and a carpet, the ministry stated.
The accounts differed on some details. The diocese described the container as a hidden bottle of gasoline and emphasized that the man was non-Christian and had claimed he wanted to pray. The Interior Ministry focused on the suspect’s mental health history and referred to a plastic bottle holding a white substance. No official determination of motive had been announced by late Thursday. Ahram Online noted that the man’s religious identity alone did not establish that the incident was sectarian in nature.
Local emergency services responded to reports of smoke rising from the church. Civil defense teams and security forces cordoned off the area, extinguished the fire, and prevented it from spreading. The four-story church building sustained limited damage, primarily to interior furnishings in the affected chapel or hall.
The case was referred to the public prosecution for further investigation. Egyptian authorities had not released the suspect’s name or additional details about his background by the time of initial reports.
Cover Image: Smoke seen rising from the Church of the Virgin Mary in the Diocese of Mid Giza.
