Man seized for firing at Egypt PM convoy

Egyptian police have arrested a young man for opening fire on the convoy of the country’s Prime Minister Hisham Qandil and his companions.

The shooting occurred on Sunday in the capital, Cairo while the authorities said it was not political in nature, Reuters reported.

The police noted that the premier was not injured in the shooting.

Meanwhile Egypt’s Interior Ministry said in a statement that the young men were on their way to settle a dispute when their car crossed paths with Qandil’s convoy in a residential and commercial district of Cairo.

One of the men fired two shots at a car belonging to Qandil’s companions when his security guards tried to force their vehicle away from the convoy.

The ministry said the police chased and caught the men, adding that the incident had no “political motives or other dimensions.”

According to a security official, the suspects claimed they had not known that the premier was inside the convoy.

In February, angry protesters threw stones and bottles at Qandil’s motorcade when he was trying to enter Cairo’s Liberation Square.

The incident came after overnight clashes nearby and at the presidential palace.