Hundreds of Muslims have attacked Christian shops and a police station in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, following rumours that a Muslim man was stabbed and killed by his Christian landlords.

The trouble started when many Muslims gathered at a mosque for funeral prayers for the dead man, Abdel Razeq Gomaa. They then started to chant “They’ll die, they’ll die.”

Three Christian brothers, Ayman, Atef and Farag Tagy were accused of murdering the man.

According to security forces, Gomaa was the only Muslim tenant in a building owned by the three men, and was injured in an earlier fight with the brothers. It has been reported that the three brothers have been detained in connection with Gomaa’s death.

Around 10 per cent of Egypt’s population are Coptic Christians and while relations with the Muslim majority are usually quiet, they can sometimes explode in disputes over land, religious buildings, women or small acts of violence.

In 2006, a Muslim killed a Christian, which led to three days of Christian-Muslim violence in Alexandria.