US ambassador condemns violent acts in Egypt

US ambassador to Egypt Anne Patterson, along with all the embassy staff, extended condolences to the families and friends of those who were killed in the increasingly violent acts that took place in in the town of el-Khosous in Qalyoubia and Abbassiya. In statements Monday, Patterson condemned the violent acts, welcoming a pledge by President Mohamed Morsi to conduct overall and transparent investigations into the incidents. The responsibility of the State is to provide security to all its citizens, she said. In some of the worst sectarian violence for months on Friday, four Christians and one Muslim were killed in el-Khosous, when members of both communities started shooting at each other. The clashes erupted between Muslim and Christian teenagers after the latter allegedly painted offensive drawings on the gates of a local Azhar institute. New clashes erupted on Sunday outside the headquarters of Coptic Church during a funeral for Copts killed in sectarian clashes with Muslims in Qalyoubia in some of the worst sectarian violence in Egypt in months.