A ten-year-old martial arts fan who was shot in the head by a bullet fired to celebrate a family wedding has died after more than two months in a coma.
Malik Mohamed Al-Sayed – who competed at national level in Taekwondo – was at the event in Egypt with his family just as guests began to fire live rounds as a tribute to the couple.
The youngster was hit in the head and was in and coma for 67 days before he died just after Christmas.
Doctors said that the bullet had caused massive brain damage, including loose metal fragments moving around inside his skull.
One family member said: “At the wedding, he was the life and soul, it was rushing round greeting everybody embracing them. Now it’s almost as though he was saying goodbye.”
The Minister of Youth and Sports, Dr. Ashraf Sobhi announced Malik’s death and made a personal call to the parents to express his condolences.
Condolences were also passed on by the Egyptian Taekwondo Federation.
The shooting comes despite the fact that Egypt has recently introduced tough laws banning the sharing of images of people firing weapons for celebrations or any other reason.
Offenders face up to 15 years in jail and face fines of up to GBP 16,000.
