Story highlights
- Egypt state media say he was filming the protests
- Relatives: Andrew Pochter was watching protests in Alexandria when he was stabbed
- The 21-year-old went to Egypt this year after spending time in Morocco
- Family: He planned to live in the Middle East "in the pursuit of peace and understanding"
An American student fatally stabbed in Egypt was so fascinated with the region, he read poems about it to his girlfriend, his mother said.
Andrew Pochter of Chevy Chase, Maryland, was stabbed Friday in the port city of Alexandria. He was in the country teaching English to elementary school children.
"As we understand it, he was witnessing the protest as a bystander and was stabbed by a protester," his family said in a statement. "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."
Egyptian state media reported that he was stabbed in the chest while filming the protests.
Protests have raged for days between supporters and foes of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy, prompting the United States to recently warn its citizens against travel to the nation.
Poetry about the region
Photos: Photos: Protests in Egypt
Photos: Photos: Protests in Egypt
Protests in Egypt – Members of the Muslim Brotherhood and supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy clash with riot police during the swearing in ceremony of Adly Mansour as interim president in Cairo on Thursday, July 4. Egypt's military deposed Morsy, the country's first democratically elected president, the country's top general announced Wednesday. View photos of Egypt after the coup.
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Protests in Egypt – Riot police stand guard as members of the Muslim Brotherhood and supporters of Morsy protest in front of Egypt's Constitutional Court in Cairo on July 4.
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Protests in Egypt – Protesters celebrate outside Egypt's Presidential Palace in Cairo on Wednesday, July 3.
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Protests in Egypt – People celebrate at Tahrir Square after a broadcast on July 3 confirming that the Egyptian Army will temporarily be taking over.
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Protests in Egypt – Protesters in Tahrir Square celebrate the news that Morsy was ousted on July 3.
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Protests in Egypt – An officer gestures to protesters at the gates of the Republican Guard headquarters in the suburb of Nasr City on July 3. The Egyptian military gave Morsy a 48-hour ultimatum on Monday to accommodate his opponents with a power-sharing agreement or be pushed aside.
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Protests in Egypt – Members of the Muslim Brotherhood and Morsy supporters react at the Raba El-Adwyia mosque square on July 3 after the Egyptian Army's statement was announced on state TV.
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Protests in Egypt – Protesters celebrate near Egypt's Presidential Palace in Cairo on July 3.
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Protests in Egypt – Anti-Morsy protesters wave flags in Tahrir Square on July 3.
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Protests in Egypt – Officers of the Egyptian Republican Guard celebrate at their headquarters in Nasr City on July 3.
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Protests in Egypt – Fireworks light the sky as Morsy opponents celebrate in Tahrir Square on July 3.
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Protests in Egypt – Opposition protesters celebrate outside Egypt's Presidential Palace in Cairo on July 3.
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Protests in Egypt – An anti-Morsy poster is displayed on a wall in Tahrir Square on July 3.
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Protests in Egypt – Opposition protesters celebrate on July 3, lighting flares and waving national flags in Tahrir Square.
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Protests in Egypt – On July 3 in front of a symbolic coffin, green lasers illuminate opposition protesters performing funeral prayers for Egyptians killed during clashes between supporters and opponents of Morsy.
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Protests in Egypt – Opponents of Morsy wave national flags during a protest outside the presidential palace in Cairo on July 3.
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Protests in Egypt – A man with his face painted the colors of the Egyptian flag looks out as thousands of protesters gather on July 3 in Tahrir Square.
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Protests in Egypt – An opposition protester holds a chair and knife during clashes between supporters and opponents of Morsy on July 3 in downtown Damietta, Egypt, which is north of Cairo near the Mediterranean Sea.
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Protests in Egypt – An opposition protester is beaten by pro-Morsy demonstrators during clashes in Damietta on July 3.
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Protests in Egypt – Egyptian Army soldiers take their positions in front of protesters near the Republican Guard headquarters in Cairo on July 3.
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Protests in Egypt – Women react to the flag-draped body of a victim (not pictured) who was killed during fighting outside Cairo University on July 3.
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Protests in Egypt – Thousands of Egyptian protesters celebrate in Tahrir Square as the deadline given by the military to Morsy passes on July 3.
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Protests in Egypt – A supporter of Morsy holds a poster that reads, "The people support legitimacy for the president," during a rally in Cairo on July 3.
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Protests in Egypt – Thousands of protesters gather in Tahrir Square in Cairo on July 3.
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Protests in Egypt – Egyptians salute Army tanks upon their deployment on a street leading to Cairo University on July 3.
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Protests in Egypt – An opponent of Morsy chants slogans during a protest outside the presidential palace in Cairo on July 3.
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Photos: Protests in Egypt – Egyptian special forces police stand guard beside an armored vehicle, protecting a bridge connecting Cairo and Giza, Egypt, where Muslim Brotherhood supporters have gathered, on July 3.
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Protests in Egypt – Hundreds of protesters gather in Tahrir Square in Cairo as the deadline given to Morsy by the military approaches on July 3.
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Protests in Egypt – Opponents of Morsy shout slogans as they carry a symbolic coffin during a protest in Tahrir Square on July 3.
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Protests in Egypt – A protester shouts during a demonstration in Tahrir Square on July 3.
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Protests in Egypt – Protesters react after Morsy's speech in a street leading to the presidential palace in Cairo early on July 3. Morsy's angry opponents met head-on overnight with his supporters at Cairo University, leaving 23 people dead.
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Protests in Egypt – A protester runs past a fire raging during clashes in Giza, Egypt, early on July 3.
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Protests in Egypt – People watch Morsy on television in Cairo on Tuesday, July 2.
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Protests in Egypt – Fireworks go off as protesters gather in the streets outside the presidential palace in Cairo on July 2.
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Protests in Egypt – Supporters of President Morsy hold sticks and wear protective gear during training outside a mosque in Cairo on July 2.
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Protests in Egypt – Morsy supporters march in formation in Cairo on July 2.
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Protests in Egypt – Opponents of Morsy camp out as they protest outside the presidential palace in Cairo on July 2.
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Protests in Egypt – Egyptians shout slogans against Morsy in Cairo on Monday, July 1.
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Protests in Egypt – A protester lights a flare as hundreds of thousands of demonstrators gather in Cairo's landmark Tahrir Square on July 1 during a protest calling for the ouster of Morsy.
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Protests in Egypt – Protesters pray during a demonstration against Morsy in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Monday, July 1. Pro- and anti-government demonstrations have spread around the country surrounding the one-year mark of Morsy coming into office on Sunday, June 30.
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Protests in Egypt – Egyptian protesters shout slogans and wave national flags during a demonstration against President Mohamed Morsy in Tahrir Square in Cairo on July 1.
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Protests in Egypt – Egyptian protesters ransack the Muslim Brotherhood headquarters in the Muqatam district in Cairo on July 1. Protesters stormed and ransacked the headquarters of Morsy's Muslim Brotherhood group early Monday.
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Protests in Egypt – Egyptian protesters ransack the Muslim Brotherhood headquarters in Cairo on July 1.
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Protests in Egypt – Thousands of opponents of Egyptian President Morsy pray during a protest calling for his ouster on Sunday, June 30. On the first anniversary of his inauguration, Morsy's Islamist supporters vow to defend his legitimacy to the end.
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Protests in Egypt – Protesters stormed the main headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo, the party that Morsy led before his election, and set it on fire on June 30.
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Protests in Egypt – Morsy's opponents say his policies are to blame for a breakdown in law and order, for an economy that's gone south, and for a gas shortage that has Egyptians waiting at the pumps for hours. Here, protestors fill the streets of Cairo on June 30.
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Protests in Egypt – Protesters sit on top of a power pole as they chant slogans against Morsy outside the presidential palace in Cairo on June 30. "Egypt is on the brink of a volcano," government-run newspaper Al-Akhbar said.
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Protests in Egypt – Protesters set off fireworks on June 30 outside the presidential palace.
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Protests in Egypt – Protesters wave national flags and a red card in Arabic reading "leave" in Tahrir Square during the June 30 demonstrations against Morsy.
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Protests in Egypt – Protesters take a rest near Tahrir Square on June 30.
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Protests in Egypt – A protester watches an Apache helicopter as it flies over Tahrir Square on June 30. Morsy's opponents stood their ground in the square, where protests two years ago helped topple Hosni Mubarak's 29-year rule.
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Protests in Egypt – The demonstrators say they collected 17 million signatures -- roughly 4 million more than what won Morsy the presidency -- and all of them call for Morsy to go.
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Protests in Egypt – An Egyptian protester chants slogans during the June 30 rally.
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Protests in Egypt – Hundreds of thousands of Morsy opponents chant outside the presidential palace on June 30.
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Protests in Egypt – Morsy opponents protest outside the presidential palace in Cairo on June 30.
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Protests in Egypt – Thousands of Egyptian protesters gather in Tahrir Square on June 30.
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Photos: Protests in Egypt – Morsy opponents wave a giant national flag outside the presidential palace on Saturday, June 29.
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Protests in Egypt – Supporters of the president shout slogans at the opposition near a mosque in Cairo on June 29. "We're not leaving, and the president is staying," one supporter told CNN. "We believe in democracy. If people don't like him, they can vote him out in three years."
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Protests in Egypt – Mourners shout slogans during journalist Salah Hassan's funeral on June 29 in Port Said.
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Protests in Egypt – Morsy supporters, armed with sticks and shields, stand guard at their protest site in Cairo on June 29.
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Protests in Egypt – A protester waves a national flag over Tahrir Square on Friday, June 28.
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Protests in Egypt – Egyptians help a wounded man following clashes between Morsy's supporters and opponents in Alexandria on June 28.
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Protests in Egypt – Morsy supporters demonstrate in Cairo on June 28. Protests also erupted in Suez, Sharqia, El Monofia and Gharbiya, the state-run Ahram news agency said. And in the port city of Alexandria, so many people turned out that traffic virtually came to a standstill.
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Protests in Egypt – A Morsy opponent waves Egyptian flags during a protest outside the Egyptian Defense Ministry in Cairo on June 28.
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Protests in Egypt – Thousands of Muslim Brotherhood supporters conduct Friday prayers in front of a Cairo mosque before the start of a sit-in for Morsy on June 28.
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Protests in Egypt – A chained protester wearing a picture of Morsy participates in an anti-government protest in Tahrir Square on Wednesday, June 26.
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American killed in Egyptian violence 03:18
Egypt's military issues ultimatum 06:17
The 21-year-old went to Egypt this year after spending time in Morocco and falling in love with the region.
Before the trip, he interned for AMIDEAST, an American nonprofit that focuses on the Middle East and North Africa. He also took a class in regional politics.
While enrolled in the class, he read poems about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to his girlfriend, said his mother, Elizabeth Pochter.
"The class wasn't just about some detached war to him, but a struggle that he passionately wanted to resolve," she said, according to a statement by Kenyon College, where he had just completed his sophomore year.
"Andrew was a person who didn't see the world as separate nations, but a collection of vibrant cultures."
'One of the rare kids'
His goal was to understand the political and religious dynamics in the region, sharpen his Arabic skills and learn the different dialects, according to his family.
"He was one of the rare kids who lived what he believed," said Marc Bragin, a chaplain at Kenyon. "His belief was that everyone should be included, everyone had a voice, and no one should be left out because what they think is different than what others think."
Rugby player, radio station host
A religious studies major, Pochter was raised in a Christian and Jewish household, and was a member of the Middle Eastern Students Association. He was headed into his junior year in college.
After Egypt and Morocco, he planned to venture farther into the region, including a planned trip to Amman, Jordan.
"In an essay as part of his application for the study-abroad program in Jordan, Andrew ... reflected on his hopes to develop 'life-long ties ... with Arab-speaking friends,' " the college said in a statement.
Pochter, a college radio station host, had varied interests, including rugby and cooking, his mother said.
Kenyon College said it was planning a memorial service in the fall.
In addition to his mother, Pochter is survived by his father, Theodore Pochter, and sister, Emily Pochter
