26 people killed and dozens more injured as gunmen open fire on a bus carrying Coptic Christians near Cairo

26 May, 2017 | Filed under: All News,more news,Opinion,RECENT POSTS,Somali news | Posted by:


Masked attackers open fire on vehicles travelling to Minya monastery, killing and wounding dozens, before fleeing scene.

 Masked gunmen on Friday attacked two buses and a truck carrying Coptic Christians in Egypt, killing more than 20 people and wounding dozens, accor

26 people killed and dozens more injured as gunmen open fire on a bus carrying Coptic Christians near Cairo
26 are dead and 25 more injured after gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying Coptic Christians in Egypt, it has emerged. Between eight and 10 attackers dressed in military uniforms struck in Minya province 155 miles south of Cairo, as the vehicle was heading towards the St Samuel Monastery.

Egyptian state media says 26 have been killed and 25 were injured when the gunmen struck. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which came on the eve of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.

The group was travelling in a convoy of two buses and a truck through the province, according to Provincial governor, Essam al-Bedaiwy. It comes after ISIS claimed responsibility for three deadly church attacks in December and April that claimed the lives of dozens of people. The jihadists threatened more attacks against the Arab country’s Christian minority.

Egyptian authorities have referred 48 suspected ISIS members to military trial over those attackss, the public prosecutor’s office said in a statement earlier this week. Of the 48 suspects, 31 are in custody and 17 still at large, it said. ISIS claimed responsibility for the three suicide attacks that targeted the churches in December and April.

A December 11 attack in the heart of Cairo on the Saint Peter and Saint Paul church, adjacent to the headquarters of Coptic Pope Tawadros II, killed 29 people. On April 9, 45 people were killed in twin church bombings claimed by ISIS as Christians gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday in the cities of Tanta and Alexandria. ISIS has threatened to carry out more attacks against Egypt’s Christians, who make up around 10 per cent of its population of about 90 million.

The suspects allegedly set up ISIS cells in Cairo and in the southern province of Qena, the statement said. It added that they were also suspected of undergoing training at IS military camps in Libya and Syria. The group is also accused of killing eight policemen and wounding three at a checkpoint in the southwest on January 16, the statement said. Since last month’s church attacks, the interior ministry has issued regular statements announcing the arrest of ISIS suspects in connection with the bombings.

Source:egyptdailynews.com