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In pictures: Day of anger

Police and Coptic Christian men in Alexandria clash after at least 21 people die in a bombing on a church

Egypt bombing
At least 21 people were killed in a car bombing outside a Coptic Christian church in the northern Egyptian city of Alexandria on Saturday [EPA]
Published On 1 Jan 2011
egypt blast
Copts in the port city protested outside the Qiddissine (The Saints) Church following the early-morning attack [AFP]
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There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the deadly blast, blamed by officials on a suicide bomber [AFP]
Egypt christians/police
Riot police clashed with Christian men after the bombing, which occurred as nearly 1,000 faithful left the church following a service [Reuters]
Egypt church attack violence
Christian youths threw stones at riot police as tension spilled onto the streets. Officials claimed that the car that exploded was parked in front of the church [AFP]
Egypt unrest
The protests underscored the religious tension that simmers just under the surface of Egyptian society [Reuters]
Egypt unrest
Witnesses said that some Coptic Christians in Alexandria took out their anger on Muslims after the bombing [Reuters]
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Egypt unrest
Copts mourned as the bodies of several blast victims were brought to ambulances in front of the Qiddissine Church [Reuters]
Egypt unrest
Sporadic clashes, meanwhile, continued as Christian sentiments remained inflamed [Reuters]
Egypt unrest
Eventually police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters [Reuters]
Egypt church attack violence
Egypt(***)s Christian community - the biggest in the Middle East - has complained of being the target of religiously motivated violence in recent years [AFP]
Egypt unrest
The attack in Alexandria prompted Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican to call for Christians throughout the Middle East to be protected [AFP]