Ramadan - a "holy" period that usually brings with it increased levels of Muslim violence - started today.
Masked gunmen attacked a bus carrying Coptic Christians on a visit to a monastery south of the Egyptian capital on Friday, killing at least 26 people including many children, officials said.
The assailants in three pick-up trucks attacked the bus as it carried visitors to the Saint Samuel monastery in Minya province, more than 200 kilometres (120 miles) from Cairo, before fleeing, the interior ministry said.
It was the latest attack on Copts after Islamic State (IS) group jihadists bombed three churches in December and April, killing dozens of Christians.
Pictures of the bus aired by state television showed the vehicle riddled with machine-gun fire and its windows shot out.
State television quoted a health ministry official as saying a "large number" of the victims were children.
"They used automatic weapons," Minya governor Essam el-Bedawi told state television.
Bedawi said police were fanning out along the road where the attack took place and had set up checkpoints.
Health ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said 26 people were killed and another 25 wounded.
No comments:
Post a Comment