Egyptian police kills vendor over tea price

An Egyptian policeman shot a vendor dead on Tuesday on the outskirts of capital Cairo after a quarrel over the price of a cup of tea, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

"The quarrel developed into a fight, after which the policeman opened fire from his police gun that killed the vendor and injured two passers-by," the statement detailed.

Non-commissioned policeman Al-Sayyid Zeinhom was later arrested and his gun was seized by the police.

The Egyptian police is facing criticism over claims of torture and death of detainees at police stations and alleged abuses and violations.

Earlier April, a policeman was sentenced to 25 years in prison for killing a rickshaw driver in a dispute over fare.

In response to the killing of the vendor, Interior Minister Magdy Abdel-Ghaffar said in a statement that a policeman is not above the law and he is accountable for his deeds like all the other citizens.

"Egypt is a state of law... there is no one in Egypt above the law," official MENA news agency quoted the interior minister as saying, stressing any policeman makes a mistake will immediately be investigated.

Earlier this year, thousands of doctors held a massive protest against the police after officers allegedly assaulted two doctors in a hospital.

In February, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi urged the newly elected parliament for legislative amendments or new laws to restrain police abuses in the most populous Arab country. Endit