Egypt marks overthrow of Islamist president with new holiday
CAIRO - Egypt on Thursday celebrated the army's 2013 overthrow of an Islamist president with a new national holiday, marked by warplanes flying over the capital of Cairo and a brief address to the nation by President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi.
Supporters of al-Sissi, who as defense minister led the ouster of Mohammed Morsi, planned to hold rallies later in the day to mark the occasion. Rallies by pro-government supporters are routinely held under police protection and attract small numbers.
But the holiday mood was ruptured by reports from Egypt's restive Sinai Peninsula, where Islamic militants on Thursday gunned down a Christian priest and two members of the country's security forces in separate attacks, according to security and medical officials.
