'Tea rampage' police officer arrested after killing spree

An Egyptian police officer who shot three people dead in a Cairo suburb on Tuesday has been arrested and referred to the prosecutor's office, local media has reported.

The suspect has been identified as a low-ranking officer and was named in an official statement from the interior ministry.

In a bid to combat the perceived culture of impunity of the country's police force, Interior Minister Magdy Abdel Ghaffar promised to "hold accountable" anyone who violates the law, including police officers.

However, analysts have already described the incident as merely the latest case of rampant police brutality in Egypt.

"I arrived at the scene right after the shooting," one witness told The New Arab earlier on Tuesday. "I saw the police officer escape after leaving his machine gun behind."

The low-ranking officer is understood to have shot his rifle at a street vendor selling tea, after refusing to pay for a cup, witnesses reported.

Spraying bullets wildly, he also wounded two workers in a passing taxi. They died shortly after the shooting.

"The policeman's colleague attempted to take away his weapon, but he left it behind and escaped," the witness added.

"Angry locals tried to attack his colleague and set the police car on fire, but others intervened and stopped them."

Images and videos of the bodies and the broken police car emerged on social media shortly after the shooting on Tuesday morning.

Local residents gathered at the scene, chanting in protest against the interior ministry and the Egyptian police.

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	Video: Rana Badawi/Facebook

Anger over police brutality helped fuel the 2011 uprising that ended Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule and began on a Police Day holiday.

This February, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Cairo security directorate after a police officer shot dead a 24-year-old tuk-tuk driver in the street, following a dispute over a fare.

A court sentenced the police officer to life in prison this month, one of the harshest sentences issued to police officers convicted of similar violent crimes.

In another case, police officers were caught on camera attacking a doctor inside a hospital, simply because the medic refused to put all of his patients aside to tend to one of their non-urgent injuries.


Have you been affected by police violence in Egypt or anywhere else? Should officers be above the law? How can a culture of impunity be tackled? Join the conversation by tweeting to us: @the_newarab