Gunmen attacked a bus carrying Coptic Christians in central Egypt on Friday, killing at least seven in the latest attack on a religious minority repeatedly targeted by jihadists.

The attackers opened fire on the bus in Minya, the province's bishop told AFP.

The gunmen "killed seven people and wounded 14, all of whom are in the Sheikh Fadel hospital in Beni Mazar" around 200 kilometres (120 miles) south of Cairo, said Bishop Makarios of Minya.

A security official confirmed the attack, adding that there were "dead and wounded".

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the shooting.

Copts, a Christian minority that make up 10 percent of Egypt's 96 million people, have in recent years been repeatedly targeted by the Islamic State jihadist group.

IS killed more than 40 people in twin church bombings in April 2017 and a month later shot dead 28 Christians in Minya province as they headed to a monastery on a bus.

Egypt's government imposed a countrywide three-month state of emergency after the April 2017 church bombings.

In December 2017 an IS gunman killed nine people in an attack on a church in a south Cairo suburb.

A year earlier, an IS suicide bomber killed almost 30 worshippers at a church in Cairo located in the Saint Mark's Cathedral complex, the seat of the Coptic papacy.

The Egyptian army launched a major offensive in February 2018 against IS in the Sinai Peninsula, where the group has waged a deadly insurgency since the fall of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

Alongside attacks against Copts, the jihadists have killed hundreds of soldiers and policemen in Egypt in recent years and were allegedly behind a November 2017 attack against a mosque in north Sinai that killed more than 300 people.

The military offensive -- Dubbed "Sinai 2018" -- has killed more than 450 jihadists, according to an army estimate, while around 30 Egyptian soldiers have been killed during this year's operation.

Egyptian authorities have also convicted jihadists for their role in attacks against Copts.

Last month an Egyptian military court sentenced 17 people to death over the suicide attacks against churches in 2016 and 2017.

Copts have long complained of discrimination in Egypt and IS is not the only group to have launched sectarian attacks against the community.

In December 2017, hundreds of Muslims attacked a church south of Cairo that had been operating without a permit for more than a dozen years.</s>Gunmen attacked a bus carrying Coptic Christians in central on Friday, killing seven in the latest assault on a religious minority repeatedly targeted by jihadists.

The attackers opened fire on the bus of pilgrims in province after they had visited a monastery, the told AFP.

The gunmen "killed seven people and wounded 14, all of whom are in the in Beni Mazar" around 200 kilometres (120 miles) south of Cairo, said Makarios of

"The attack took place on the road" back from the Saint Samuel monastery, he added, as the bus was heading to the city of

A security source confirmed that seven people were killed in the attack, but put the number of wounded at seven.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the shooting. State television said security forces were on Friday afternoon still in pursuit of the attackers.

Egypt's offered his support to the victims in a statement on "I am mourning with deep sadness the martyrs who fell today at the hands of traitors who are trying to harm the tightly-knit fabric of the nation," Sisi said.

"I wish the wounded a quick recovery and confirm our determination to continue our efforts to fight the darkness of terrorism and pursue the criminals." 



Egypt's prosecutors office said it had received reports of "gunfire targeting a bus carrying a group of returning from the Monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor".

Copts, a Christian minority that make up 10 percent of Egypt's 96 million people, have in recent years been repeatedly targeted by the Islamic State jihadist group. IS killed more than 40 people in twin church bombings in April 2017 and a month later shot dead 28 Christians in province. imposed a three-month countrywide state of emergency after the April 2017 church bombings.

In December 2017 an IS gunman killed nine people in an attack on a church in a south suburb. A year earlier, an IS suicide bomber killed almost 30 worshippers at a church in located in the Saint Mark's Cathedral complex, the seat of the Coptic papacy.

The launched a major offensive in February 2018 against IS in the Peninsula, where the group has waged a deadly insurgency since the fall of in 2013.

Alongside attacks against Copts, the jihadists have killed hundreds of soldiers and policemen in in recent years and were allegedly behind a November 2017 attack against a mosque in north that killed more than 300 people.

The military offensive -- Dubbed " 2018" -- has killed more than 450 jihadists, according to an army estimate, while around 30 Egyptian soldiers have been killed during this year's operation.

Egyptian authorities have also convicted jihadists for their role in attacks against Last month an Egyptian military court sentenced 17 people to death over the suicide attacks against churches in 2016 and 2017.

have long complained of discrimination in and IS is not the only group to have launched sectarian attacks against the community. In December 2017, hundreds of Muslims attacked a church south of that had been operating without a permit for more than a dozen years.</s>Coptic Christians in the Egyptian town of Minya prepared to bury their dead on Saturday, a day after militants ambushed three buses carrying Christian pilgrims on their way to a remote desert monastery, killing seven and wounding 19.

A priest and members of a Christian congregation prayed and chanted over a row of white coffins ahead of a funeral service for the dead.

All but one of those killed were members of the same family, according to a list of the victims' names released by the church, which said a boy and a girl, ages 15 and 12 respectively, were among the dead.

Mourners gather for the funeral of Coptic Christians who were killed in an attack, at the Prince Tadros Church in Minya

The Islamic State militant claimed responsibility for the attack south of Cairo in a statement.

It said the attack was revenge for the imprisonment by Egyptian authorities of "our chaste sisters" without elaborating.

The Islamic State militant group claimed that 13 Christians killed and another 18 wounded, but it was not immediately possible to independently verify the claim or reconcile the discrepancy in the number of dead and wounded given by the group and the church.

El-Sissi wrote on his Twitter account that Friday's attack was designed to harm the "nation's solid fabric" and pledged to continue fighting terrorism.

He offered his condolences when he spoke by telephone with Pope Tawadros II, spiritual leader of Egypt's Orthodox Christians.

In a somber message of his own, Tawadros said in a video clip released by the church that the latest attack would only make the Christians stronger.

"I think that this is a terrorist act which is targeting Egypt through playing the card of the Copts," said Begemy Nassem Nasr, priest of the church of St. Mary in Minya. "We know that ... President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi is hosting the youth forum and they meant to embarrass him."

Friday's attack is the second to target pilgrims travelling to the St. Samuel the Confessor monastery in as many years

The previous attack in May 2017 left nearly 30 people dead. It is also the latest by IS to target Christians in churches in Cairo, Alexandria, and Tanta in the Nile Delta north of the capital.

Those incidents left at least 100 people dead and led to tighter security around Christian places of worship and Church-linked facilities.

The Interior Ministry said Friday's attackers used secondary dirt roads to reach the buses carrying the pilgrims, who were near the monastery at the time of the attack.

Only pilgrims have been allowed on the main road leading to the monastery since last year's attack.

The Interior Ministry said that only one bus was attacked, but the latest statement by the church said three buses were targeted and put the death toll at 7 and the wounded at 19, including two in critical condition.

It said police were pursuing the attackers, who fled the scene.</s>MINYA, Egypt (Reuters) - Egyptian Christians buried six members of the same family on Saturday who were shot dead while returning from a baptism at a Coptic monastery in Egypt’s Minya province.

Two buses were attacked on Friday near the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor in Minya, 260 km (160 miles) up the Nile from Cairo. Seven people were killed and 18 wounded, including children.

The attack was claimed by Islamic State which, along with affiliated groups, has said it was responsible for several attacks on Egypt’s Christian minority, including one that killed 28 people in almost the same spot in May 2017.

There had, however, been a lull in attacks on Christians since December, when a gunman killed 11 people at a church and Christian-owned shop near Cairo.

Although Egypt’s army and police launched a crackdown on the militant groups in February, some of the Christian mourners said security should be tighter.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said he mourned the victims as martyrs and vowed to push ahead with the campaign.

“There is a mix of sadness and pain,” Bishop Macarius, head of the Coptic diocese in Minya, told mourners at Prince Tadros Church, tears streaming down his face. “Sadness as these painful events are being repeated, and pain because Copts are part of this homeland and part of its fabric.”

Mourners spilled out of the pews screaming, sobbing and praying over six white coffins, and rejecting the condolences of members of the security services.

The Copts, an Orthodox denomination who make up about 10 percent of Egypt’s more than 90 million inhabitants, are the Middle East’s largest Christian community. They have long complained of persecution and insufficient protection.

At Saturday’s funeral, the congregation shouted out when Macarius thanked police and soldiers for their support, chanting: “No, no ... with blood and soul, we will defend you, oh cross!”

The government pledged 100,000 Egyptian pounds ($5,600) in compensation to the families of the dead, and 50,000 to those who needed extended medical treatment, the state news agency MENA said.</s>CAIRO: Gunmen attacked a bus carrying Coptic Christians in central Egypt on Friday, killing at least seven in the latest attack on a religious minority repeatedly targeted by militants.

The attackers opened fire on the bus in Minya, the province´s bishop told AFP. The gunmen "killed seven people and wounded 14, all of whom are in the Sheikh Fadel hospital in Beni Mazar" around 200 kilometres south of Cairo, said Bishop Makarios of Minya.

A security official confirmed the attack, adding that there were "dead and wounded". There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the shooting. Copts, a Christian minority that make up 10 percent of Egypt´s 96 million people, have in recent years been repeatedly targeted by the Islamic State militant group.

IS killed more than 40 people in twin church bombings in April 2017 and a month later shot dead 28 Christians in Minya province as they headed to a monastery on a bus.</s>related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

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Thousands of Christian mourners prepared on Saturday to bury six members of the same family who were killed while returning from a baptism at a Coptic monastery in Egypt's Minya province.

MINYA, Egypt: Egyptian Christians buried six members of the same family on Saturday who were shot dead while returning from a baptism at a Coptic monastery in Egypt's Minya province.

Two buses were attacked on Friday near the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor in Minya, 260 km (160 miles) up the Nile from Cairo. Seven people were killed and 18 wounded, including children.

The attack was claimed by Islamic State which, along with affiliated groups, has said it was responsible for several attacks on Egypt's Christian minority, including one that killed 28 people in almost the same spot in May 2017.

There had, however, been a lull in attacks on Christians since December, when a gunman killed 11 people at a church and Christian-owned shop near Cairo.

Although Egypt's army and police launched a crackdown on the militant groups in February, some of the Christian mourners said security should be tighter.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said he mourned the victims as martyrs and vowed to push ahead with the campaign.

"There is a mix of sadness and pain," Bishop Macarius, head of the Coptic diocese in Minya, told mourners at Prince Tadros Church, tears streaming down his face. "Sadness as these painful events are being repeated, and pain because Copts are part of this homeland and part of its fabric."

Mourners spilled out of the pews screaming, sobbing and praying over six white coffins, and rejecting the condolences of members of the security services.

The Copts, an Orthodox denomination who make up about 10 percent of Egypt's more than 90 million inhabitants, are the Middle East's largest Christian community. They have long complained of persecution and insufficient protection.

At Saturday's funeral, the congregation shouted out when Macarius thanked police and soldiers for their support, chanting: "No, no ... with blood and soul, we will defend you, oh cross!"

The government pledged 100,000 Egyptian pounds (US$5,600) in compensation to the families of the dead, and 50,000 to those who needed extended medical treatment, the state news agency MENA said.</s>At least seven people have been killed in a gun attack on a bus near a Coptic Christian monastery inEgypt, the Church has said.

At least 14 people had also been wounded in the assault, the archbishop of Minya said, with officials saying the death toll was likely to rise.

Gunshots were fired on pilgrims travelling to the remote desert monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor, 160 miles up the River Nile from Cairo.

No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on the bus but security officials said it bore the hallmarks of Islamic militants, who have previously targeted the site.

Church spokesman Bouls Halim said the death toll in Friday's attack, in the Minya governorate south of Cairo, is likely to rise.

ISIS militants have for years been fighting security forces in the Sinai Peninsula and along Egypt's porous desert border with Libya.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said he mourned the victims as martyrs and vowed to push ahead with a campaign against militants.

'I assert our determination to fight dark terrorism and to pursue the perpetrators,' he said on Twitter.

Egypt's Coptic Christians, who make up about 10 percent of its population, have come under attack by Islamist radicals several times over the past years.

In December last year ISIS claimed responsibility for a gun attack on a Coptic Christian bookshop and church in Cairo that killed nine people.

The same monastery targeted today was previously hit by a terror attack in May 2017 when ISIS jihadists shot dead 29 Christian worshippers.

The attack prompted Egypt to unleash air strikes on jihadist camps in Libya.

On that occasion last year a group of up to 10 masked attackers dressed in military uniforms stopped a convoy as the group headed towards the monastery to pray.

In December 2016 a bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo killed 30 people and wounds dozens during Sunday Mass.

Egypt says fighting Islamist militants is a priority to restore security after the years of turmoil that followed the 'Arab Spring' protests.

Egypt's Copts are the Middle East's largest Christian minority. They trace their history to the dawn of Christianity, when Egypt was integrated into the Roman and later the Byzantine empire.

Several churches and monasteries in Egypt are built on sites Copts believe were visited by the Holy Family.

The word 'Copt' comes from the same root as the word for 'Egyptian' in ancient Greek.

The community's decline started with the Arab invasions of the 7th century and the progressive Islamisation of the country, which today is largely Sunni Muslim.

Most adhere to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, headed since 2012 by Pope Tawadros II. A minority is divided between Coptic Catholics and various Coptic Protestant branches.

Tawadros, who succeeded pope Shenuda III, was chosen by a blindfolded altar boy picking his name from a chalice, according to tradition.

The Vatican says some 165,000 Catholic Copts lived in Egypt in 2010.

Poorly represented in government, Copts complain that they are sidelined from many posts in the justice system, universities and the police.</s>Angry Coptic Christians in mourning kept a vigil outside a hospital in central Egypt overnight to receive the bodies of relatives killed in a gun attack on a bus transporting pilgrims.

The Islamic State (IS) group claimed Friday's attack which killed seven Christians returning from a visit to Saint Samuel monastery, the latest assault on Egypt's religious minority.

A security source said seven people were also wounded in the attack near the city of Minya, the second such attack in two years targeting the desert monastery.

Outside the main hospital in Minya, dozens of victims' family members waited until the early hours of Saturday to receive the bodies for burial.

An elderly woman wept for her dead son and wailed as she sat on the ground outside the hospital morgue.

"He was the best child... I'll never see him again," she said, as other mourners rushed to carry a coffin to an ambulance to be taken to a church for a funeral.

Security forces remained on the alert outside the hospital for fear of further attacks, while roads were blocked to the scene of the shooting.

Bishop Makarios of Minya visited the hospital to try to comfort mourners.

Another Coptic cleric, asking not to be named, told AFP around 24 people had escaped the attack unharmed and spent the night at a church in a nearby village.

"Should I carry a gun with me when I go to pray or when I'm at home? Because I could die if I go to church," said Michel, a 23-year-old Copt whose neighbour was killed in the attack.

He said three of the victims had been siblings.

"What do these terrorists want? Do they want us to hate Muslims?"

On Saturday, a burned-out four-wheel-drive truck, which witnesses said had been used by a group of militants in white galabiya gowns, stood near the site of the attack.

Residents had attacked the car and handed two of its occupants to security forces, they said.

As Egypt's Christians reeled from the latest attack, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called Coptic Pope Tawadros II to offer his condolences and led a minute of silence at a youth forum he was attending.

Copts, a Christian minority that make up 10 percent of Egypt's 96 million people, have in recent years been repeatedly targeted by the Islamic State jihadist group.

In May 2017, masked gunmen ordered Christians travelling to Saint Samuel to get off their buses and recant their faith.

The group refused and were shot one by one, leaving 28 people dead in the IS-claimed attack.

IS also killed more than 40 people in twin church bombings in April 2017, and an IS gunman last December killed nine people in an attack on a church in a south Cairo suburb.

Egypt's army launched a major offensive in February 2018 against IS in the Sinai Peninsula, where the group has waged a deadly insurgency since the fall of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, killing hundreds of soldiers and policemen.

The military offensive -- Dubbed "Sinai 2018" -- has killed more than 450 jihadists, according to an army estimate, with around 30 soldiers killed.

Copts have long complained of discrimination in Egypt and IS is not the only group to have launched sectarian attacks against the community.</s>MINYA, Egypt (Reuters) - Egyptian Christians buried six members of the same family on Saturday who were shot dead while returning from a baptism at a Coptic monastery in Egypt’s Minya province.

Two buses were attacked on Friday near the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor in Minya, 260 km (160 miles) up the Nile from Cairo. Seven people were killed and 18 wounded, including children.

The attack was claimed by Islamic State which, along with affiliated groups, has said it was responsible for several attacks on Egypt’s Christian minority, including one that killed 28 people in almost the same spot in May 2017.

There had, however, been a lull in attacks on Christians since December, when a gunman killed 11 people at a church and Christian-owned shop near Cairo.

Although Egypt’s army and police launched a crackdown on the militant groups in February, some of the Christian mourners said security should be tighter.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said he mourned the victims as martyrs and vowed to push ahead with the campaign.

“There is a mix of sadness and pain,” Bishop Macarius, head of the Coptic diocese in Minya, told mourners at Prince Tadros Church, tears streaming down his face. “Sadness as these painful events are being repeated, and pain because Copts are part of this homeland and part of its fabric.”

Mourners spilled out of the pews screaming, sobbing and praying over six white coffins, and rejecting the condolences of members of the security services.

The Copts, an Orthodox denomination who make up about 10 percent of Egypt’s more than 90 million inhabitants, are the Middle East’s largest Christian community. They have long complained of persecution and insufficient protection.

At Saturday’s funeral, the congregation shouted out when Macarius thanked police and soldiers for their support, chanting: “No, no ... with blood and soul, we will defend you, oh cross!”

The government pledged 100,000 Egyptian pounds ($5,600) in compensation to the families of the dead, and 50,000 to those who needed extended medical treatment, the state news agency MENA said.</s>Egyptian Christians have buried six members of the same family who were shot dead while returning from a baptism at a Coptic monastery in Egypt's Minya province.

Two buses were attacked on Friday near the Monastery of St Samuel the Confessor in Minya, 260km up the Nile from Cairo. Seven people were killed and 18 wounded, including children.

The attack was claimed by Islamic State which, along with affiliated groups, has said it was responsible for several attacks on Egypt's Christian minority, including one that killed 28 people in almost the same spot in May 2017.

There had, however, been a lull in attacks on Christians since December, when a gunman killed 11 people at a church and Christian-owned shop near Cairo.

Although Egypt's army and police launched a crackdown on the militant groups in February, some of the Christian mourners said security should be tighter.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said he mourned the victims as martyrs and vowed to push ahead with the campaign.

"There is a mix of sadness and pain," Bishop Macarius, head of the Coptic diocese in Minya, told mourners on Saturday at Prince Tadros Church, tears streaming down his face.

"Sadness as these painful events are being repeated, and pain because Copts are part of this homeland and part of its fabric."

Mourners spilled out of the pews screaming, sobbing and praying over six white coffins, and rejecting the condolences of members of the security services.

The Copts, an Orthodox denomination who make up about 10 per cent of Egypt's more than 90 million inhabitants, are the Middle East's largest Christian community. They have long complained of persecution and insufficient protection.

At Saturday's funeral, the congregation shouted out when Macarius thanked police and soldiers for their support, chanting: "No, no ... with blood and soul, we will defend you, oh cross!"

The government pledged 100,000 Egyptian pounds ($A7,767) in compensation to the families of the dead, and 50,000 to those who needed extended medical treatment, the state news agency MENA said.
An attack on a bus carrying Copts from Sohag Governorate to the Monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor in Egypt kills seven people and injures several others.