By DPA,
Cairo : At least one person was killed and several others were injured during overnight clashes in the Egyptian capital Cairo amid a protest by Coptic Christians, media reported Wednesday.
Clashes erupted Tuesday evening when more than 1,000 Coptic Christians gathered in the slum neighbourhood of Manshiyet Nasr to protest against the burning of a church south of Cairo last week, the independent newspaper al-Masry al-Youm reported.
The violence lasted into the early hours of Wednesday.
There were conflicting reports about how the clashes started. Some witnesses said the protesters were attacked by residents of nearby neighbourhoods carrying knives and glass bottles.
At least 15 homes were set on fire during the clashes, the state-run al-Ahram newspaper reported. The Egyptian military fired shots into the air to disperse the crowds.
The violence came as thousands of Coptic Christians continued to protest in front of the state television and radio building in central Cairo.
The demonstration, which started Sunday, was also triggered by the church being torched last week following clashes between Muslims and Christians in the town of Sol, 90 km south of Cairo.
Religious tensions occasionally lead to violence in Egypt, where Christians comprise 10 to 15 percent of the population.