6 shot dead in shooting spree near Cairo
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Six people were shot dead and as many others were wounded by a bus driver on Tuesday in a shooting spree in the Egyptian governorate of 6th of October, southwestern Cairo.
Mahmoud Taha Ahmed Soweilam, 55, working for the state-owned Arab Contractors company, opened fire at his colleagues on their way to work early morning in al-Manawat village, southwestern Cairo, killing six and wounding six others, an official statement from the company said. Earlier reports said that seven people were killed in the shooting.
The driver committed the incident after two of his colleagues refused to get off the bus upon his orders, eyewitnesses said.
The driver was arrested after he drove the bus to his company headquarters following the incident, claiming that gunmen opened fire at the bus and killed six, a colleague of the suspect told Xinhua. Although the Egyptian law bans holding guns, people can buy them from a black-market.
A security source told Xinhua that disputes on excavation of ancient antiquities are behind the shooting.
Soweilam clashed with some of his colleagues who were excavating for antiquities under his house, the source said.
Two of the injured workers left the hospital after receiving treatment while the remaining four are still hospitalized.
The company's panel held an emergency meeting and ordered to pay an urgent compensation of 100,000 Egyptian pounds (about 17,860 U.S. dollars) to each family of those killed and 20,000 Egyptian pounds (about 3,572 U.S. dollars) for each of the injured.
The funeral of the six victims held late Tuesday was attended by thousands of people. The victims were buried on the same day in line with the Islamic tradition of laying the Muslim deceased to rest as soon as possible after death.
