Egyptian magistrates have opened an inquiry and interviewed 20 witnesses following religious clashes in recent days in Al Ayat, south of the capital Cairo, independent daily al-Masri al-Yom reported Monday.

The wife of jailed Egyptian opposition politician Ayman Nour, the main challenger to Hosni Mubarak in a 2005 presidential election, said he was assaulted by security men on Saturday in a courthouse stairwell.

Egyptian and Gulf real estate firms bought three large tracts of land near Cairo on Saturday earmarked for housing development, netting LE 13.3 billion ($2.3 billion) for the government, officials said.