Egypt PM’s convoy comes under attack

CAIRO

Egyptian police detained a young man who opened fire on Prime Minister Hisham Qandil’s convoy and his four companions in Cairo on May 5 in an incident the authorities said had no political motive. Qandil was not injured.

The young men were on their way to settle a feud when their vehicle crossed paths with Qandil convoy in Dokki, a residential and commercial district of the capital, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

When Qandil’s security guards tried to force the vehicle away from the convoy, one of the men fired two shots at their car. The police gave chase and caught the five men, the Interior Ministry said.

Egyptian media reported in February that protesters threw stones and bottles at the prime minister’s motorcade as he tried to enter Cairo’s Tahrir Square after overnight clashes nearby and at the presidential palace. His office said in a statement later, without elaborating, that he had been “confronted by youths and troublemakers.”