A police officer was detained after he shot dead two brothers for refusing inspection at a police checkpoint in the governorate of Suez.
The two men, 23 and 26, were not armed and did not attack the checkpoint, police investigations revealed.
However, the brothers, who were riding a motorcycle, failed to stop at the checkpoint, which scared the officer and prompted him to fire his weapon. Instead of firing warning shots, he aimed straight at them, Al-Ahram's Arabic news website reported.
A single bullet penetrated both the victims' skulls, causing their immediate death.
Investigations also revealed that the two brothers were headed to help their father, a contractor, in construction work.
Head of Suez Security Directorate Tarek El-Gazar told Ahram that the officer was detained and his weapon seized, pending investigations by prosecutors.
Egyptian police have been the subjects of regular militant attacks over the last year and a half. Incidents involving armed assailants opening fire at security checkpoints are not uncommon.
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