UPDATED: Gunmen kill 26 Coptic Christians in Egypt
At least no fewer than 26 people, including children, have been killed and 25 wounded in a gun attack on a bus carrying Coptic Christians south of Cairo, the latest in a series of terrorist incidents targeting the religious minority in
Egypt.
Egyptian local media had reported witnesses saying that between eight and 10 gunmen, dressed in military uniform, carried out the attack. Egypt’s interior ministry said the attackers, travelling in four-wheel-drives, “fired indiscriminately” at a car, bus and a truck in the al-Idwah district outside Minya, about 135 miles (220km) south of Cairo.
Activists monitoring the plight of Coptic Christians in Egypt said the convoy was attacked on an unpaved desert road en route to the monastery of Saint Samuel, located close to Maghagha. The vehicles were carrying worshippers and workers to the holy site.
“The terrorists got in the bus and began shooting,” said Bishop Makarios, the the highest Coptic church official in Minya. “The injuries are straight shots in the head, body and the neck.” Images circulating from the scene showed bodies lying on blood-stained sand.
A search by Egyptian security forces was launched. “What we now know for sure is that three cars executed the attack, with up to 10 men inside,” said Gen Essam al-Din Bedewi, the Minya governor. “Security forces have now closed the road leading to the monastery. We are now intensifying security, as this road is close to the western desert, and we fear that the perpetrators may attempt to escape through the mountainous area close to the monastery.”
Children aged two and four were said to be among the victims of the attack.
President Abdel-Fatah al-Sisi declared a state of emergency last month after two suicide bombings on Coptic churches killed at least 45 people. The attacks on 9 April, for which Isis claimed responsibility, struck worshippers in the town of Tanta and the Egyptian port city of Alexandria as they celebrated Palm Sunday.
Many Coptic Christians in Egypt declined to celebrate the Easter holiday following the attack, which sparked anger among the community who argued that lax government security had allowed the attacks to take place. Egyptian authorities recently referred 48 defendants to military court for their involvement in the attacks.
Just late last month, Pope Francis visited Egypt, in part to show his support for Christians who have been increasingly targeted by Islamic militants. After his visit, Isis vowed to escalate attacks against Christians, urging Muslims to steer clear of Christian gatherings and western embassies.
