Gunman attacks church
At least 9 people killed before security forces kill attacker in suburb south of Cairo
CAIRO — A gunman on a motorcycle opened fire Friday outside a church in a Cairo suburb and at a nearby store, sparking a shootout that killed at least nine people, including eight Coptic Christians, Egyptian authorities said. It was the latest attack targeting the country’s embattled Christian minority.
The gunman was also killed, along with at least one police officer, officials said.
The attack began when the gunman tried to break through the security cordon outside the Coptic Church of Mar Mina. It was not clear how many assailants were involved. Egypt’s Interior Ministry referred to only one, but the Coptic Orthodox church mentioned “gunmen.”
Five people were wounded, including another police officer, Health Ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said.
The attack came amid tightened security around churches and Christian facilities ahead of the Coptic Orthodox Christian celebrations of Christmas on Jan. 7.
Police have been stationed outside churches and in nearby streets across Cairo. President Abdel- Fattah el- Sissi has personally chaired meetings with his top security chiefs in recent days to discuss security during New Year’s Eve and the Orthodox Christmas.
A video circulating on social media after Friday’s attack apparently showed the gunman lying on the ground with his face covered in blood. Authorities closed off the area around the church.
The Interior Ministry identified the assailant as Ibrahim Ismail Mostafa, who the agency said was involved in several previous militant attacks. The Interior Ministry said he was wounded and arrested but made no mention of his death, which was reported by the Health Ministry.
The assailant had earlier opened fire at the nearby store owned by a Christian, the Interior Ministry said.
No group took immediate responsibility for the attack, which bore the hallmarks of Islamic militants, who for years have battled security forces in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula in an insurgency now led by a local affiliate of the extremist Islamic State group.
The militants are targeting mainly security personnel and Egypt’s Coptic Christian minority.
The latest attack, in the southern Cairo suburb of Helwan, showcases the difficulties faced by security forces in containing an insurgency that is growing in sophistication and brutality. The assault came a little more than a month after militants killed 311 worshippers inside a mosque in Sinai, the deadliest attack by militants on civilians in Egypt’s modern history.
Last week, they fired a guided rocket that destroyed an army helicopter at the airport of the city of el- Arish in northern Sinai during an unannounced visit there by the defence and interior ministers. At least one senior officer was killed and two wounded in that attack, which pointed to an unusually high level of intelligence available to the militants.
Samir Gerges, a witness to Friday’s church attack, said people inside the church closed the gates when the shooting began but that some bullets penetrated the building. Gerges said he was walking along a nearby street when the gunfire broke out. He saw people running and some taking cover in a nearby restaurant.
Another witness, 40- year- old Raouth Atta, was praying inside the church when the violence broke out.
“People were terrified and wanted to check on their families in other buildings of the church,” she said by phone. “We stayed inside for 30 minutes before we were able to get out.”
Once she was able to leave, Atta said, she saw blood everywhere.
“We kept praying,” said the Rev. Boules, who was teaching a class in the church complex. On hearing gunfire, he went to check on his students, who were panicking and terrified.
Since December 2016, Egypt’s Copts have been targeted by the militants, who waged a series of attacks that left more than 100 dead and scores wounded. The country has been under a state of emergency since April after suicide bombings struck two Coptic Christian churches on Palm Sunday.