American Killed in Egypt Was a 21-Year-Old College Student From Maryland

JERUSALEM (TheBlaze/AP) -- The State Department has identified the American killed in Egypt during violent clashes between government supporters and opponents.

American college student Andrew Pochter, 21, was fatally stabbed by a protester during clashes in Egypt. (Image source: Facebook)

State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf, traveling with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in the Middle East, said Andrew Pochter was killed Friday in Alexandria. The department has issued a warning advising Americans to defer nonessential travel to Egypt because of the continuing violence there.

Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, said in a statement on its website that Pochter was a 21-year-old student from Chevy Chase, Md., working in Egypt as an intern for a non-profit education organization. His family said he was teaching English to 7- and 8-year-old Egyptian children.

The State Department said the young American was killed while photographing battles between supporters and foes of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. In a statement, his family said he was stabbed by a protester.

"As we understand it, he was witnessing the protest as a bystander and was stabbed by a protester. He went to Egypt because he cared profoundly about the Middle East, and he planned to live and work there in the pursuit of peace and understanding," the family said. "Andrew was a wonderful young man looking for new experiences in the world and finding ways to share his talents while he learned."

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