The attack in Alexandria prompted Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican to call for Christians throughout the Middle East to be protected [AFP]
At least 21 people were killed in a car bombing outside a Coptic Christian church in the northern Egyptian city of Alexandria on Saturday [EPA]
Copts in the port city protested outside the Qiddissine (The Saints) Church following the early-morning attack [AFP]
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the deadly blast, blamed by officials on a suicide bomber [AFP]
Riot police clashed with Christian men after the bombing, which occurred as nearly 1,000 faithful left the church following a service [Reuters]
Christian youths threw stones at riot police as tension spilled onto the streets. Officials claimed that the car that exploded was parked in front of the church [AFP]
The protests underscored the religious tension that simmers just under the surface of Egyptian society [Reuters]
Witnesses said that some Coptic Christians in Alexandria took out their anger on Muslims after the bombing [Reuters]
Eventually police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters [Reuters]
Egypt's Christian community - the biggest in the Middle East - has complained of being the target of religiously motivated violence in recent years [AFP]
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