UPDATE: 70-year-old Christian woman stripped and beaten by Muslim mob

The mob lashed out at an innocent woman.

Egyptian authorities have arrested six men suspected to have participated in the mob and are currently looking for 12 more.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - President Abdel-Fattach el-sissi demands the culprits be held accountable and issued his military one month to find them and rebuild the destroyed homes.

According to ABC News, el-sissi released a statement claiming "the rights and the protection of their [Christian] dignity are a humanitarian and patriotic commitment before being a legal and constitutional one."

A mob of roughly 300 Muslim men attacked a 70-year-old Christian woman in the Egyptian village of Al-Karm and broke out into religiously motivated acts of violence, including the burning of seven Christian family homes.

A mob of roughly 300 Muslim men attacked a 70-year-old Christian woman in the Egyptian village of Al-Karm and broke out into religiously motivated acts of violence, including the burning of seven Christian family homes.

Rumors spread of a Christian man having an affair with a Muslim woman and suddenly a mob swelled into existence.

According to the Independent, the local diocese claimed the violence began around 8pm on Friday but it took police two hours to respond.

The elderly victim was the mother of the accused Christian man and was stripped naked. She was then beaten and humiliated by being paraded through the streets by the jeering mob.

Anba Makarios, the senior cleric of the Diocese of Minya and Abu Qirqas, took part in a televised interview Wednesday night to say the police were warned the day before the mob attacked but they purposely allowed the mob "ample time" to do as it pleased.

Though little is known of her condition or whether the accused son and Muslim women are truly guilty of engaging in extramarital affairs, the older woman is believed to have survived the ordeal and has since met with local church leaders.

"No one did anything and the police took no pre-emptive or security measures in anticipation of the attacks," Makarios explained. "We are not living in a jungle or a tribal society. It's incorrect for anyone to declare himself judge, police and ruler."

The local governor, Tarek Nasser, claimed the incident was not as bad as other officials reported them to be. He claimed the Muslim Brotherhood exploited the situation, which was a "sensitive" case as it involved a relationship between a Muslim and Christian.

"Some irrational youths threw flammable missiles at the houses of Christians in the village and some women ran away in their nightgowns," he understated, then added officials were working to resolve the issue.

In his interview, Makarios explained that the village has seen an increasing number of violent acts over the past few years and that the Christian community no longer relied on the police to help them.

Makarios predicted government-sponsored officials would have to intervene and would inevitably result in Christians being forced into accepting "humiliating" conditions to satisfy the Muslim community before reconciliation can occur.

*Updated May 29 to include President Abdel-Fattach el-sissi's statement and manhunt information.

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