Heroic: The police officer, dressed in
protective clothing, is seen edging towards the device - hidden beneath
the plant behind the backpack. In the background, three bystanders film
on their mobile phones
These
shocking images show a group of bystanders filming a brave Egyptian
police officer as he is killed while trying to defuse a bomb left
outside a petrol station.
The
video, taken on a mobile phone, shows at least three other men filming
as the officer, dressed in protective gear, is blasted through the air
after the device explodes in his hands.
And
the callous filmmaker behind these pictures continues even after the
debris has settled around the lifeless body of the officer - and
passersby have rushed to his side.
Fatal: The officer is blasted several
feet into the air after the device detonates in his hands. While some
onlookers rush to his aide, the cameraman behind this footage made sure
he recorded the scene
Jihadists have claimed responsibility for the attack, which also left three employees of the Cairo petrol station wounded.
The group Ajnad Misr (Soldiers of Egypt)
claimed on Twitter that it had placed the device, saying it was
targeting police officers at a nearby station.
In the video, the bomb disposal officer
is seen edging towards the device, which is hidden in the base of a
plant that is standing on the footpath behind a backpack.
The officer is thrown several feet into the air when the bomb explodes.
After the debris has settled, bystanders
and other policemen rush to help the officer - but the cameraman keeps
his phone on record.
The footage represents a recent shift in
the way information has come out of conflict zones around the world,
amid advances in technology and the increased used of social networking
sites.
The recent Gaza atrocities were reported
on a constant basis, not just by major media organisations, but by
amateur locals who stopped to capture heart-rending images on their
mobile phones.
Often, the footage would have been too horrific to be shown on television, but it swept over the internet like wildfire.
Protection: An Egyptian soldier in an
armoured vehicle stands guard at St Mark's Cathedral in Cairo, Egypt.
Security has been stepped up around Coptic churches ahead of the
Orthordox Christmas celebrations
Targets: Earlier today, two policemen
were shot dead by gunmen in a pre-dawn attack while they were on patrol
outside a Coptic church (pictured) in the southern city of Minya, 135
miles south of Cairo
In some cases, people even posed for selfies against a background of explosions.
Some say the change means that those inflicting atrocities will be unable to hide, as their actions are embedded in history.
But others say it shows how desensitised
the world has become to the shocking sights and that the stream of
footage could belittle the horrors which so many face.
Policemen and soldiers have faced regular militant attacks since the army ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.
Hundreds have been killed in attacks
claimed by jihadist groups in retaliation for a government crackdown
targeting Morsi's supporters.
Earlier today, two policemen were shot
dead by gunmen in a pre-dawn attack while they were on patrol outside a
Coptic church in the southern city of Minya, 135 miles south of Cairo.
Festival: The city is home to the
nation's largest Coptic community and the members of the Orthodox
minority were preparing to observe Christmas Eve according to the old,
Julian calendar
The city is home to the nation's largest
Coptic community and the members of the Orthodox minority were
preparing to observe Christmas Eve according to the old, Julian
calendar.
Police cordoned off the area shortly after the attack and were searching for the perpetrators, security officials said.
Christians account for some 10 percent
of the nation's 90 million people and have long complained of
discrimination by the nation's Muslim majority.
Assaults on Christians have stepped up in Egypt since the ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in July 2013.
A wave of attacks in August 2013 left
dozens of churches destroyed, burned or looted, including churches in
Minya. Christian homes and businesses were also targeted.
The wave of anti-Christian violence
followed the breakup by security forces of two sit-in protests by
Morsi's supporters, an operation that killed hundreds.
Daily Mail