By ASSOCIATED PRESS

Egyptians light candles at Talat Harb Square in Cairo on Thursday night to mourn more than two dozen people who were killed when Christians, angered by a recent church attack, clashed Sunday night with security forces in central Cairo. (AP)

CAIRO: Hundreds of protesters marched from Egypt’s state mosque toward Cairo’s Tahrir Square to denounce a bloody attack on Coptic Christian protesters, only to be stoned by a Acrowd of onlookers outside Al-Azhar mosque.

A crowd of onlookers threw rocks at the demonstrators outside Al-Azhar mosque. Undeterred, the group marched on toward a central Cairo church before heading to Tahrir Square.

Twenty-six people were killed Sunday in clashes between Coptic Christians, the military and others who joined the mayhem. Most of the dead were Copts, who had been protesting an attack on a church.

State news agency MENA says Al-Azhar’s imam urged unity and support for Egypt’s Army in his Friday sermon.

Participants said the imam’s remarks could heighten tensions because he urged Muslims to protect the armed forces against attacks by protesters.