Egypt Christians clash with military police, 24 dead

Christians clashed with military police Sunday, leaving at least 24 people dead in Cairo, and the cabinet called an emergency meeting for Monday vowing the violence would not derail Egypt's first election since Husni Mubarak was toppled.              

Christians protesting about an attack on a church took to the streets on Sunday and set cars on fire, burned army vehicles and hurled rocks at military police who they said used heavy-handed tactics against them.

It was some of the worst violence since the February uprising. The violence casts a shadow over the imminent parliamentary election.
 
The clashes also added to growing frustration among  activists with the army who many Egyptians suspect wants to keep hold of the reins of power from behind the scenes even    as it hands over day-to-day government.

The Health Ministry said the death toll had reached 24 with 213 injured, the official MENA news agency reported. It did not identify the dead but state television had earlier reported three soldiers were killed.