Egypt president orders swift trial of policeman who shot dead tea vendor

Egyptian president Abdel Fattah Al-sisi has ordered for a swift trial of police officer who killed a tea vendor in New Cairo.

Al-Sisi ordered the Minister of Interior to ensure complete accountability, stating that any responsible police officer or person must be tried and punished promptly according to the law.

Al-Sisi orders rapid trial for police officer who killed tea vendor in New Cairo – https://t.co/neBR1DCnYr pic.twitter.com/h7lGGAs3Wa

— Daily News Egypt (@DailyNewsEgypt) April 20, 2016

The directive came after a policeman allegedly shot dead one man and wounded two others in an argument over the price of a cup of tea in Egypt.

Several hundred protesters then turned out on the streets and overturned a police car while chanting: “the police are thugs”.

Investigations with the officer began on Wednesday and continued for 12 hours. The officer reportedly denied all charges of killing a citizen with police weapon, and claimed that he was targeting armed masked persons on a motorcycle.

But for many Egyptians, the shooting is just the latest example of rampant violence by police against civilians.

AFP