CAIRO: Angry Christian demonstrators pelted an Egyptian minister with stones on Sunday, as fears rose of sectarian unrest after a bombing at a church that killed 21 people.Hundreds of Coptic Christians gathered inside the gates of Cairo's St Mark Cathedral where the Coptic pope, Shenouda III, has his headquarters and heckled officials who came to pay condolences.
The correspondent said demonstrators chased the state minister for economic development, Osman Mohammed Osman, to his car and pelted him with stones after he met Shenouda, while others clashed with police standing outside the gates.
More than a thousand protesters broke through the gates and spilled into nearby streets, stopping cars, banging on their hoods and pelting them with stones.
Earlier, dozens of protesters tried to surround the Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed al-Tayeb, Egypt's top Muslim cleric, and banged on his car after he went to see the pope.
Police officials also said more than 1,000 Copts demonstrated outside the foreign ministry and neighbouring state television buildings. Some protesters pelted passing traffic, damaging more cars.
It was the second consecutive day of such protests. On Saturday, Christian demonstrators heckled police and showered them with stones as they shouted slogans against the government.
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