Two men accused of fatally stabbing three Egyptian monks belonging to the Coptic Orthodox Church this week appeared before a South African court on Thursday, and remain in custody until their next court appearance.
One of the defendants, Saeed Basinda, who was wearing a blue shirt and a white bandage around his left hand, is Egyptian (37 years old), and the other defendant, named Samuel Avamarcos in the indictment, is from South Africa (47 years old).
They both registered their addresses as the same area in the town of Cullinan, east of the capital Pretoria, where the murder occurred.
The case was postponed until March 27 so that the two could obtain the legal representation and Arabic translator they requested.
They were arrested after the murder of the monks on Tuesday at the Monastery of Saints Mark the Apostle and Samuel the Confessor in Cullinan, where a fourth person was also beaten with an iron rod before fleeing to safety, according to police.
Some church members, wearing black gowns, were in the courtroom and sat quietly as the short proceedings proceeded.
According to police, nothing was stolen during the attack, and the motive remains unknown.
The headquarters of the Coptic Orthodox Church is located in Egypt, has dioceses in several countries, and is one of the oldest Christian communities in the world.
The Coptic Orthodox Church announced that the Egyptian monks (priests) who were killed were Thekla Samuel, Justus Fa Mark, and Mina Fa Mark.
2024-03-15 05:31:57
#Egyptian. #trial #monks #killers #begins #South #Africa #Sky #News #Arabia #Sky #News #Arabia
