Coptic Christians clash with police in Egypt

Cairo - A security official says a couple hundred Christian protesters clashed with police in southern Egypt after holding a demonstration in front of a police station demanding authorities locate an abducted housewife.

The official says protesters Tuesday hurled Molotov cocktails at Samalout police station, in Minya province, injuring three policemen. The police arrested at least 33 protesters. The official says the demonstration was over the abduction of a 37-year-old Coptic housewife, who went missing two weeks ago.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

Egypt's Christian minority has complained of a rise in kidnappings, armed robberies and assaults over the past three years, after the country was plunged into turmoil by the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.