20110104
reuters

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt is screening people who arrived recently from countries where al-Qaeda is known to recruit after early findings suggested the militant network was behind a New Year's church bombing, security sources said.

In Europe, authorities said they were pursuing threats against Coptic churches there, after militants said they would attack the Egyptian Christian denomination both in Egypt and among its diaspora communities.

A suspected suicide bomber killed 21 people and wounded 97 outside a Coptic church in the Nile delta city of Alexandria during a New Year's midnight service. The authorities have been holding seven people for questioning.

The bombing prompted protests in parts of Cairo and Alexandria. On Saturday and Sunday, hundreds of Christians in Muslim-majority Egypt took to the streets to protest against what they say is the failure of authorities to protect them.

Protests continued on Monday in two areas of Cairo, Reuters correspondents at the scene and security sources said.

Hundreds of Christians protested in Cairo's Shubra district, which has a large Christian population and many churches, and a similar protest erupted on Cairo's ring road highway.

The highway protesters initially set car tyres on fire and used them to block the road, and were seen later throwing stones at homes, cars and people.

Security forces dispersed the crowds in both places, but they kept re-assembling and continuing their protest.