Morsi calls for investigation into cathedral attack

All necessary measures were taken to end violence outside Abbasiya Cathedral, assailants will be held accountable, presidential statement says President Mohamed Morsi has called for an investigation into the attacks on mourners at Abbasiya Cathedral on Sunday.All necessary security measures were taken to contain the violence which killed two and injured 90, the president said in a statement issued late on Monday.Violence broke out on Sunday outside Saint Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Abbasiya, Cairo. A funeral had taken place for Copts killed on Saturday in sectarian clashes in Qalioubiya, north of Cairo.The statement claimed the violence started after mourners vandalised cars on Ramses Street and local people responded by throwing stones and launching fire crackers.“The situation further escalated with the use of guns and pellet guns, according to the neighborhood's security official,” the statement read.“Cameras captured individuals taking guns, Molotov cocktails and rocks onto the cathedral's roof, as well as in and out of the building," the statement read. "This prompted police to intervene and disperse the clashes with tear gas.”The prosecutor-general has called for an investigation into the violence and sent the victims’ bodies for a forensic autopsy, the statement added.The interior ministry is committed to exercising self-restraint as per the president's instructions. It balances the right to peaceful protest with the right of all citizens to live in safety and security, the statement read.“In this context, the presidency would like to affirm its rejection of all violence under any pretext and affirm that all citizens are equal under the law.“The presidency further stresses that it will not allow anyone to divide the nation, incite sedition, or drive a wedge among Egyptians under any pretense. It is doing all it can to enforce the rule of law and hold the assailants [of the attacks] accountable,” the statement concluded.Late on Monday, President Mohamed Morsi announced the revival of the National Council for Justice and Equality (NCJE).The council was formed in November 2011 by the government of then-prime minister Essam Sharaf. It was mandated with promoting the ideals of justice and equality, disseminating a culture of citizenship and furthering the principle of equality regardless of race, religion or gender. source : Ahramonline