A Minya criminal court sentenced a policeman to death on Tuesday for killing two Christians while he was guarding a church in December last year.

Rabie Mostafa Khalifa, a police sergeant, was assigned to guard a Coptic church in Minya; he killed Emad Kamal and his son David in front of the church.

According to investigations, Khalifa had argued a day prior to the incident with the two men, who were working on a construction site in front of the church. 

The murders stirred anger among Christians in the area.

The criminal court issued a preliminary death sentence in February and asked Dar El-Ifta for its opinion on the sentence, in accordance with Egyptian law on capital cases.

Dar El-Ifta upheld the court's sentence.

The verdict may still be appealed within 60 days.