An American who was killed during protests in Alexandria, Egypt Friday has been identified as 21-year-old Kenyon College student Andrew Pochter of Chevy Chase, Md. He and an Egyptian man were killed during a protest where thousands of opponents of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi congregated outside a Muslim Brotherhood office.
A family spokeswoman told the Washington Post that Pochter was in Egypt for the summer to teach English. Reuters reported Friday that Pochter was stabbed in the chest after recording the protest on his cell phone. Supporters and opponents of Morsi, who was elected almost one year ago, clashed across the country on Friday.
From the Post:
All of Egypt seemed to be bracing for horrors that may come as protesters prepare to call for Morsi’s downfall in demonstrations Sunday, the first anniversary of his taking office.
A military spokesman told the state news agency Friday that the military is deploying nationwide to avoid “a 28 January 2011 scenario,” referring to the deadliest day of Egypt’s popular uprising.
Kenyon College released a short statement on Pochter’s death:
Pochter was an intern at AMIDEAST, an American non-profit organization engaged in international education, training and development activities in the Middle East and North Africa. The AMIDEAST internship is not a Kenyon program. An appreciation of Pochter’s life will be shared at a later time.
