Friday 26 May 2017

At least 28 dead as gunmen fire on bus carrying Coptic Christians in Egypt


At least 28 people have been killed in Egypt after unidentified gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying Coptic Christians in what officials are calling a terror attack. Ten assailants wearing fatigues and face masks fired on the passengers from three four-wheel drive vehicles, Egypt's Interior Ministry told CNN. The Christians were traveling Friday to a monastery, St. Samuel the Confessor, around 100 km (62 miles) northwest of the city of Minya when they came under fire, the ministry said. Twenty-three others were injured, some of whom are now in critical condition, Minya Gov. Essam El-Bedewy told Egyptian satellite channel ONTV.



Men, women and children are among the dead and injured, officials said. The attack comes as the country is still under a three-month state of emergency period following twin attacks on Coptic churches on Palm Sunday last month that killed dozens of people. ISIS claimed responsibility for those attacks. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the shooting, but Coptic Christians have been targeted by ISIS militants several times in recent years and ongoing violence has triggered a mass exodus of Coptic Christians from some towns.

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