Egyptian police beefed up security in the southern region Sunday, a day after 21 members of the same family were shot dead in a vendetta.
Egyptian security sources told United Press International police were sent to the Sohag province where the village of Beit Allam witnessed a massive revenge killing Saturday. Security was beefed up in the village and surrounding areas to prevent a retaliatory act by the family of the victims.
Members of the Abdul Halim clan Saturday intercepted minibuses carrying 25 members of the Hanashat family and opened fire with their machine guns, killing 22 people -- 21 from the family -- and injuring three others.
The sources said police were combing the rural and mountainous areas near the village in search of those suspected of carrying out the killings. Neighbours said that only women were left inside the Abdel Haleem household -- the men had all long since fled into hills above the village for fear of being picked up by police.
Villagers said the hatred between the Abdel Haleems and the Hanashats went back well over a decade.
Saturday's killings were one of the worst in Egypt in years. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
