Egypt's attorney general ordered the detention of 156 protesters involved in clashes with riot police after the authorities blocked construction of a church in a Cairo suburb, the official news agency MENA said on Thursday.
One Christian was killed and dozens were wounded in Giza on Wednesday when some 3,000 Orthodox Copts hurled stones at police lines. Some officers threw stones back and Muslims threw rocks at the Christian protesters from behind the security cordon.
The attorney general decided to hold the 156 protesters for 15 days on suspicion of inciting the riots, MENA reported. It did not say whether they had been formally charged.
Some Christians demonstrated near the church and others near the Giza governor's office. Christians make up 10% of Egypt's 79 million people.
The interior ministry said on Wednesday that at least 112 protesters had been detained in the Giza area, where the authorities had halted construction of the church although the Copts said they had an official permit.
