At least nine people were killed in two attacks – one outside a Coptic church – in a community just south of Cairo on Friday morning.
Reports said that at least one gunman attempted to break through security barriers at the Mar Mina Church in the Helwan district, leading to a shoot-out in which at least six civlians and a police officer died. The man, who was arrested by security forces, was apparently found to be carrying a machine gun and an explosive device which he had reportedly tried to throw.
About an hour earlier two brothers were reportedly killed in an attack on a Coptic-owned shop in the same area. Egypt’s interior ministry ascribed the attack to the same man.
Earlier reports had suggested there were two men involved in the attack on the church, that one had been killed and the other briefly escaped before being apprehended.
The so-called Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The attacks came as Coptic Orthodox Christians are preparing to celebrate Christmas on 7th January.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has called for heightened security in the wake of the attacks and urged Christians and Muslims to stand together in unity.
The attacks were condemned around the world including by US President Donald Trump.
Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, urged President Al-Sisi along with religious leaders and governments across the region to “to act swiftly and boldly to safeguard the fundamental religious rights of all faiths, to ensure security in the face of violence and to guarantee justice for all people”.
“We pray for the victims and their families, and for the church leaders and we seek God’s mercy, love and grace that we may be empowered with strength to continue our pilgrimage of justice and peace. Through prayer, action and unity, we can bring a powerful force of love in the wake of terror and violence.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for UK-based persecuted church advocacy Release International, said the organisation’s staff were “devastated” by news of the attack.
“The continued violence against our brothers and sisters in Christ is appalling and deeply sad,” said spokesperson Laura Hayes. “We call on friends and supporters in the UK church to pray for the families of those bereaved at this distressing time. We also pray for those who perpetrated these terrible crimes and ask God to open their hearts and minds to the love and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The incidents are the latest in a series of attacks targeting Egypt’s Coptic Christian minority. The worst of these took place on Palm Sunday when at least 45 people were killed in twin attacks on Coptic church in Alexandria and the city of Tanta, and in May when 29 Copts were killed in an attack on a bus making its way to a monastery in central Egypt.
